emulsify

American  

[ih-muhl-suh-fahy] / ɪˈmʌl səˌfaɪ /

verb (used with or without object)

emulsifies, present (3rd person singular) emulsified, past participle, past emulsifying present participle

1. to make into or form an emulsion.

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emulsify British  

/ ɪˈmʌlsɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. to make or form into an emulsion

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Usage

What does emulsify mean? To emulsify is to form an emulsion—a mixture of two liquids that don’t fully combine. An emulsion may look like a single liquid, but it’s made up of particles of one liquid distributed throughout another liquid. For example, if you emulsify oil and water, it forms an emulsion in which small droplets of oil are suspended in the water, but the two liquids aren’t fully blended together (as they would be if you stirred together water and vinegar, for example). In technical chemistry terms, an emulsion is a colloidal suspension in which the substances mixed together are both liquids. Both colloids and suspensions involve particles of one substance distributed in another without being dissolved. Emulsions are used in a variety of contexts, including pharmacology, cooking, and photography. In cooking, liquids or liquid-like ingredients are emulsified in order to make sauces with a smooth consistency. A common example of an emulsion is the kind of salad dressings called a vinaigrette, which is made by emulsifying oil and vinegar. Example: To emulsify oil and vinegar, you have to whisk very hard to separate the oil into tiny droplets, or else the two liquids will separate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• emulsification
  noun
• unemulsified
  adjective
• emulsifier
  noun
• emulsifiable
  adjective
• emulsifiability
  noun
• emulsible
  adjective
• emulsibility
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have emulsified
  perfect
• has emulsified
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are emulsifying
  progressive
• have been emulsifying
  perfect progressive
• has been emulsifying
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• emulsifies
  singular 3rd person
• is emulsifying
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am emulsifying
  progressive 1st person singular
• emulsifying
  participle

Past

• had emulsified
  perfect
• were emulsifying
  progressive plural
• emulsified
  participle
• had been emulsifying
  perfect progressive
• emulsified
  simple
• was emulsifying
  progressive singular

Future

• will emulsify
  simple
• will have emulsified
  perfect
• will be emulsifying
  progressive
• will have been emulsifying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of emulsify

First recorded in 1855–60; from Latin ēmuls(us) ( see emulsion) + -ify

Explanation

When you emulsify something, you mix it so thoroughly that it becomes an emulsion, or a mixture of two liquids that can't be completely blended together. Home cooks emulsify any time they make a good oil-based salad dressing, thoroughly mixing the oil with the vinegar or other liquid ingredients. While the oil, because it's not soluble, can't be completely combined with the vinegar, you can emulsify the two so that the tiny drops of oil are dispersed across the volume of vinegar and the texture of the salad dressing is satisfying. Emulsify comes from the Latin word emulsus, or "milked out."

Example Sentences

Emulsify budino with an immersion hand blender, or transfer to a regular blender and pulse until butter is melted and incorporated.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2014

Emulsify in 50 c.c. distilled water and add to the contents of the flask.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)

Emulsify it with a few cubic centimetres of distilled water in a watch-glass, by gently moving the spatula to and fro in the water.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)

Emulsify the remainder of the deposit with 5 c.c. sterile bouillon and inoculate two guinea-pigs, thus: guinea-pig a, subcutaneously with 1 c.c. emulsion; guinea-pig b, subcutaneously with 2 c.c. emulsion; and observe the result.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)

Emulsify the bacterial residue with 5 c.c. sterile bouillon.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)