Pseudoplastic

A flow behaviour where a substance's apparent viscosity decreases under applied shear stress and recovers when shear is removed. Xanthan gum solutions are characteristically pseudoplastic — thick and viscous at rest, thinning readily under the shear of pumping, pouring, or eating, then recovering thickness. This makes pseudoplastic ingredients like xanthan gum valuable in products that must be thick enough to suspend particles at rest but flow easily when dispensed.