colloid
colloid definition
col·loid (käl′o̵id′)
noun
- a solid, liquid, or gaseous substance made up of very small, insoluble particles (as single large molecules or masses of smaller molecules) that remain in suspension in a surrounding solid, liquid, or gaseous medium of different matter
- a state of matter consisting of such a substance dispersed in a surrounding medium: all living matter contains colloidal material, and a colloid has only a negligible effect on the freezing point, boiling point, or vapor pressure of the surrounding medium
- the iodine-containing, gelatinous protein stored in the thyroid
Etymology: < Gr kolla, glue + -oid; coined by T. Graham (1805-69), Scot chemist
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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