coacervate

[ noun koh-as-er-vit, -veyt, koh-uh-sur-vit; verb koh-as-er-veyt, koh-uh-sur-veyt ]

/ noun koʊˈæs ər vɪt, -ˌveɪt, ˌkoʊ əˈsɜr vɪt; verb koʊˈæs ərˌveɪt, ˌkoʊ əˈsɜr veɪt /

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noun

Physical Chemistry. a reversible aggregation of liquid particles in an emulsion.

verb (used with or without object), co·ac·er·vat·ed, co·ac·er·vat·ing.

to make or become a coacervate.

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Origin of coacervate

1620–30; <Latin coacervātus (past participle of coacervāre to heap up), equivalent to co-co- + acerv(us) heap, multitude + -ātus-ate¹

Words nearby coacervate

CNR, CNS, Cnut, Co, COA, coacervate, coacervation, coach, coach-and-four, coach bolt, coach box

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for coacervate

coacervate

/ (kəʊˈæsəvɪt, -ˌveɪt) /

noun

either of two liquid phases that may separate from a hydrophilic sol, each containing a different concentration of a dispersed solid

Derived forms of coacervate

coacervation, noun

Word Origin for coacervate

C17: from Latin coacervāre to heap up, from acervus a heap

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012