emulsion
Americannoun
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Physical Chemistry. any colloidal suspension of a liquid in another liquid.
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such a suspension used in cosmetics.
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Pharmacology. a liquid preparation consisting of two completely immiscible liquids, one of which, as minute globules coated by a gum or other mucilaginous substance, is dispersed throughout the other: used as a means of making a medicine palatable.
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Photography. a composition sensitive to some or all of the actinic rays of light, consisting of one or more of the silver halides suspended in gelatin, applied in a thin layer to one surface of a film or the like.
noun
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photog a light-sensitive coating on a base, such as paper or film, consisting of fine grains of silver bromide suspended in gelatine
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chem a colloid in which both phases are liquids
an oil-in-water emulsion
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Also called: emulsion paint. a type of paint in which the pigment is suspended in a vehicle, usually a synthetic resin, that is dispersed in water as an emulsion. It usually gives a mat finish
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pharmacol a mixture in which an oily medicine is dispersed in another liquid
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any liquid resembling milk
Usage
What does emulsion mean? An emulsion is 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 whisk together 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. The word emulsion is used in a variety of contexts, including pharmacology, cooking, and photography. In cooking, emulsions are made by blending two liquids or liquid-like ingredients into a smooth consistency. Salad dressings called vinaigrettes are typically emulsions of oil and vinegar. The word emulsion is used in a more specific way in photography to refer to a light-sensitive coating (consisting of a chemical suspended in gelatine) that’s applied to paper or film. The verb emulsify means to form an emulsion. Example: To properly make an emulsion of 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
Etymology
Origin of emulsion
1605–15; < New Latin ēmulsiōn- (stem of ēmulsiō ), equivalent to Latin ēmuls ( us ) milked out ( ē- e- 1 + mulsus, past participle of mulgēre to milk) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Ever notice the separate layers of oil and vinegar in salad dressing? Give the bottle a shake and those layers combine in a process called emulsion or the combination of liquids that don't dissolve into each other. Emulsion comes from the Latin mulgere meaning to "milk out." Seems strange, doesn't it? But in the early seventeenth century, the term was used to describe the milky liquid that result from crushing almonds in water. Think of natural peanut butter and how it separates with a thick layer of oil on top. When you stir it with a long spoon, that's the process of emulsion, or a combination of two liquids that don't dissolve into each other.
Vocabulary lists containing emulsion
A Culinary Vocabulary Sampler
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The Grapes of Wrath
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The Golden Compass
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What they determined was the Rapid Penetrating Emulsion applied last fall provided less grip in the track’s apron than on the track.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2022
Emulsion plates or layers, in physics, work a lot like old-school photography film, Feng explained in the statement.
From Scientific American • Dec. 1, 2021
Seven years later, she renounced her Chinese citizenship and became a U.S. citizen around the time she earned a doctorate from the Emulsion Polymers Institute at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, according to court documents.
From Washington Times • Dec. 23, 2019
In the early nineties, the company introduced its signature paint, Estate Emulsion.
From The New Yorker • Mar. 11, 2019
Patterson's Emulsion of Pumpkin Seeds is said to be a good emulsion for expelling tapeworms.
From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
