noun. A substance, such as calcium oxide or silica gel, that has a high affinity for water and is used as a drying agent.

Drying; desiccating.

noun. A medicine or an application that dries the surface to which it is applied.

adjective. Drying; desiccative.

noun. A substance (such as calcium oxide or silica gel) that is used as a drying agent because of its high affinity to water.

adjective. Causing dryness

noun. a substance that promotes drying (e.g., calcium oxide absorbs water and is used to remove moisture)

"Caldwell went on to say the researchers found that stirring up the bed bugs by spraying their environment with synthetic versions of their alarm pheromones makes them more likely to walk through agents called desiccant dusts, which kill the bugs by making them highly susceptible to dehydration."

chemical agent  

Chantilly  aluminous  anthelmintic  anti-oxidant  antispasmodic  

desiccative  drying