colloid

col·loid

noun \ˈkä-ˌlȯid\

Definition of COLLOID

1

: a gelatinous or mucinous substance found normally in the thyroid and also in diseased tissue

2

a : a substance that consists of particles dispersed throughout another substance which are too small for resolution with an ordinary light microscope but are incapable of passing through a semipermeable membrane

b : a mixture consisting of a colloid together with the medium in which it is dispersed <smoke is a colloid>

— col·loi·dal \kə-ˈlȯi-d^əl, kä-\ adjective

— col·loi·dal·ly adverb

Origin of COLLOID

International Scientific Vocabulary coll- + -oid

First Known Use: circa 1852

Rhymes with COLLOID

android, avoid, chancroid, conoid, crinoid, cuboid, cycloid, deltoid, dendroid, devoid, discoid, factoid, fibroid, fungoid, ganoid, globoid, hydroid, hypnoid, keloid, mastoid, mucoid, ovoid, prismoid, pygmoid, rhizoid, rhomboid, schizoid, scombroid, sigmoid, spheroid, steroid, styloid, tabloid, thalloid, thyroid, toroid, toxoid, trochoid, typhoid, Veddoid, viroid

col·loid

noun \ˈkäl-ˌȯid\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of COLLOID

1

: a gelatinous or mucinous substance found in tissues in disease or normally (as in the thyroid)

2

a : a substance consisting of particles that are dispersed throughout another substance and are too small for resolution with an ordinary light microscope but are incapable of passing through a semipermeable membrane b : a mixture (as smoke) consisting of a colloid together with the medium in which it is dispersed

—col·loi·dal \kə-ˈlȯid-^əl, kä-\ (audio pronunciation) adjective

—col·loi·dal·ly \-^əl-ē\ (audio pronunciation) adverb

colloid

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Substance consisting of particles that, although too tiny to be seen with the unaided eye (typically 1 nanometre to 10 micrometres), are substantially larger than atoms and ordinary molecules and that are dispersed in a continuous phase. Both the dispersed phase and the continuous phase may be solid, liquid, or gas; examples include suspensions, aerosols, smokes, emulsions, gels, sols, pastes, and foams. Colloids are often classified as reversible or irreversible, depending on whether their components can be separated. Dyes, detergents, polymers, proteins, and many other important substances exhibit colloidal behaviour.