a substance added to foods to stop them from becoming dry （保藏食物用的）保湿剂 a substance added to skin cream to stop your skin from being dry （护肤霜中的）保湿剂
Word Originearly 19th cent. (denoting a moistening agent): from Latin humectant- ‘moistening’, from the verb humectare, from humectus ‘moist, wet’, from humere ‘be moist’.