Diluent

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Description

An inert material used to decrease the concentration of an active component. A diluent may be a solvent used to decrease the concentration or viscosity of a coating or paint. Also a diluent may be an inert filler added to an adhesive or pigment as a bulking agent to increase workability or just to decrease cost. For example, sand is added to cement as a diluent and turpentine is a diluent in oil paints. Water is the most common diluent.

See also Extender, Filler, and Thinner.

Synonyms and Related Terms

thinner; thinning agent; filler; extender; adulterant

Authority

  • R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966
  • Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
  • Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988
  • Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

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