col|loid

col|loid
col|loid «KOL oyd», noun, verb, adjective.
–n.
1. a substance composed of particles that are extremely small but larger than most molecules (usually ranging from about 0.01 to about 0.001 micron in diameter). The particles in a colloid do not actually dissolve, but remain suspended in a suitable gas, liquid, or solid. Many materials associated with ordinary life, such as soap, most plastics, rubber, and glass, are produced from colloids. Colloids also play an important part in organic functions, such as digestion and excretion.
2. Medicine. the colorless or yellowish, transparent, jellylike substance formed in some kinds of tissue degeneration.
–v.t.
to change (guncotton) into a gelatinous or colloidal substance by treating it with nitroglycerin or other solvents to control the rate of burning.
–adj.
= colloidal. (Cf. ↑colloidal)
╂[< Greek kólla glue + English -oid]

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • hy|dro|col|loid — «HY druh KOL oyd», noun. any substance that forms a gel with the addition of water, such as natural gums and marine algae products …   Useful english dictionary

  • loid — ac·ro·meg·a·loid; al·ka·loid; amyg·da·loid; an·ne·loid; ar·gil·loid; ar·il·loid; at·loid; be·loid; ber·yl·loid; bun·ga·loid; cau·loid; ceph·a·loid; chrys·a·loid; chy·loid; col·loid·er; col·loid·ize; con·dy·loid; cor·al·loid; cot·y·loid;… …   English syllables

  • colloid — col·loid …   English syllables

  • colloidality — col·loid·al·i·ty …   English syllables

  • colloider — col·loid·er …   English syllables

  • colloidophagy — col·loid·oph·a·gy (kol″oi dofґə je) [colloid + phagy] resorption of colloid by macrophages under the influence of the thyroid stimulating hormone …   Medical dictionary

  • colloidize — col·loid·ize …   English syllables

  • colloid — col•loid [[t]ˈkɒl ɔɪd[/t]] n. 1) chem. a substance made up of small particles (too small to be seen under an optical microscope, yet too big to pass through a semipermeable membrane) that are suspended in and dispersed throughout a solid, liquid …   From formal English to slang

  • colloid — 1. Aggregates of atoms or molecules in a finely divided state (submicroscopic), dispersed in a gaseous, liquid, or solid medium, and resisting sedimentation, diffusion, and filtration, thus differing from precipitates. SEE ALSO: hydrocolloid …   Medical dictionary

  • hydrocolloid — A gelatinous colloid in unstable equilibrium with its contained water, useful in dentistry for impressions because of its dimensional stability under controlled conditions. irreversible h. a h. whose physical state is changed by an irreversible …   Medical dictionary

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