colloid
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A stable system of two phases, one of which is dispersed in the other in the form of very small droplets or particles.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahloydSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑlɔɪd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
physical chemistry
A stable system of two phases, one of which is dispersed in the other in the form of very small droplets or particles.
meteorology
An intimate mixture of two substances, one of which, called the dispersed phase (or colloid), is uniformly distributed in a finely divided state throughout the second substance, called the dispersion medium (or dispersing medium).
adjective
Glue-like; gelatinous.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (physical chemistry) A stable system of two phases, one of which is dispersed in the other in the form of very small droplets or particles.
Used this way, colloid is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.