colloidal

American  

[kuh-loid-l] / kəˈlɔɪd l /

adjective

Physical Chemistry.

1. pertaining to or of the nature of a colloid.

   colloidal gold and silver.

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colloidal British  

/ ˌkɒˈlɔɪdəl, ˌkɒlɔɪˈdælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or having the character of a colloid

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Other Word Forms

• colloidality noun
• colloidally adverb
• noncolloidal adjective
• semicolloidal adjective

Etymology

Origin of colloidal

First recorded in 1860–65; colloid + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Light programmable colloidal crystals may eventually enable reconfigurable optical coatings, adaptive sensors, and next generation display and data storage technologies, where patterns and functions are defined dynamically by illumination rather than fixed during manufacturing.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026

The researchers' device represents the first hydrovoltaic application of a technique called nanosphere colloidal lithography, which allowed them to create a hexagonal network of precisely spaced silicon nanopillars.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024

Such colloidal particles -- small solid particles suspended in a fluid phase -- can be seen as an excellent way to measure and also manipulate the motion of the living cells' membrane.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024

They even sold bottles of their own colloidal silver online, which they touted as a “cure-all” substance and one of the “most healing” medicines on the planet that can boost the body’s immune system.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2024

For example let us take colloidal substance whose molecular weight is 2000.

From The Mechanism of Life by Leduc, Stéphane