congeal

American  

[kuhn-jeel] / kənˈdʒil /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to change from a soft or fluid state to a rigid or solid state, as by cooling or freezing.

   The fat congealed on the top of the soup.

   Synonyms:

   solidify, jell, set, harden

2. to curdle; coagulate, as a fluid.

3. to make or become fixed, as ideas, sentiments, or principles.

   Some philosophic systems lost their vitality and congealed.

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congeal British  

/ kənˈdʒiːl /

verb

1. to change or cause to change from a soft or fluid state to a firm or solid state

2. to form or cause to form into a coagulated mass; curdle; jell

3. (intr) (of ideas) to take shape or become fixed in form

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Other Word Forms

• congealability noun
• congealable adjective
• congealableness noun
• congealedness noun
• congealer noun
• congealment noun
• half-congealed adjective
• noncongealing adjective
• uncongeal verb (used without object)
• uncongealable adjective

Etymology

Origin of congeal

1350–1400; Middle English congelen (< Middle French congeler ) < Latin congelāre, equivalent to con- con- + gelāre to freeze; gelid

Example Sentences

The queso started fine but eventually congealed into something that approximated lukewarm paste.

From Los Angeles Times

Aim for dishes that still taste perfectly fine when eaten lukewarm, that don’t seize up or congeal the moment they cool.

From Salon

Apple slices and a little bowl of honey sit beside the congealed meatloaf.

From Literature

During a seven-nation polar exercise in Canada earlier this year to test equipment worth millions of dollars, the U.S. military’s all-terrain arctic vehicles broke down after 30 minutes because hydraulic fluids congealed in the cold.

From The Wall Street Journal

By episode 2, it congeals into something like a coherent picture.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• curdle
• thicken