Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

colloid

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒlɔɪd/
Definition of colloid

noun

  • a homogeneous non-crystalline substance consisting of large molecules or ultramicroscopic particles of one substance dispersed through a second substance. Colloids include gels, sols, and emulsions; the particles do not settle, and cannot be separated out by ordinary filtering or centrifuging like those in a suspension.
  • [mass noun] Anatomy & Medicine a substance of gelatinous consistency.

adjective

  • relating to or characterized by a colloid or colloids.

Derivatives

colloidal

Pronunciation: /kəˈlɔɪd(ə)l/
adjective

Origin:

mid 19th century: from Greek kolla 'glue' + -oid

colloid in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of colloid in the US English dictionary