colloid

noun

col·​loid ˈkä-ˌlȯid 

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 (see resolution sense 6a) 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

colloidal

kə-ˈlȯi-dᵊl 

kä-

adjective

colloidally adverb

Examples of colloid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Healthcare providers use colloid fluids for people with severe dehydration or fluid loss. —Rachael Zimlich, Bsn, Rn, Verywell Health, 23 Sep. 2024

Bluing is not a dye, but rather a colloid of blue iron salt suspended in water. —Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2024

Shining a laser light through a gold colloid mixture produces the Faraday-Tyndall Effect. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 26 Dec. 2023

Cheese starts as a colloid, or liquid medium with small particles equally dispersed within it. —Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 14 Oct. 2023

Samaras and her team use new technologies across colloid science, polymer chemistry, microbiome and sensory science for Unilever’s biggest brands. —Jennifer Kite-Powell, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023

Thyroid nodules might be solid with little fluid or colloid. —Julia Naftulin, Health, 24 Apr. 2023

Cocoa powder mixed in with your milk is a colloid—a type of mixture in which solid particles are dispersed throughout a fluid. —Mai Nguyen, Discover Magazine, 14 Dec. 2015

Ice cream is a colloid, or a solution that is comprised of two insoluble materials with one dispersed throughout the other. —Ashton Yoon, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2017

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary coll- + -oid

First Known Use

circa 1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

colloid

noun

col·​loid ˈkäl-ˌȯid 

: a very finely divided substance which is scattered throughout another substance

also : a mixture consisting of such a substance together with the substance in which it is scattered (as in smoke, gelatin, or marshmallow)

colloidal

kə-ˈlȯid-ᵊl 

kä-

adjective

Medical Definition

colloid

noun

col·​loid ˈkäl-ˌȯid 

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

colloidal

kə-ˈlȯid-ᵊl, kä- 

adjective

colloidally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb