crystalloid
Americannoun
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a usually crystallizable substance that, when dissolved in a liquid, will diffuse readily through vegetable or animal membranes.
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Botany. one of certain minute crystallike granules of protein, found in the tissues of various seeds.
adjective
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resembling a crystal.
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of the nature of a crystalloid.
adjective
noun
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a substance that in solution can pass through a semipermeable membrane Compare colloid
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botany any of numerous crystals of protein occurring in certain seeds and other storage organs
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crystalloid
From the Greek word krystalloeidḗs, dating back to 1860–65. See crystall-, -oid
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.
Dialysis, the process of separating the crystalloid or poisonous ingredients in a substance from the colloid or harmless ingredients.
From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin
The philosophers call it crystalloid, for it taketh suddenly divers forms and shapes of colours as crystal doth.
From Mediaeval Lore from Bartholomew Anglicus by Steele, Robert
Simple filtration will sometimes suffice to separate the required substance; in other cases dialysis will be necessary, in order that crystalloid substances may be separated from colloid bodies.
From Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology by Robertson, W. G. Aitchison (William George Aitchison )
As2O3, in cases of suspected poisoning, was formerly separated from the stomach in this way, as it is a crystalloid, whereas most of the other contents of the stomach are colloidal.
From An Introduction to Chemical Science by Williams, Rufus Phillips
The smallest individual particle of a colloid appeared to him to be a much more complex structure than the smallest particle of a crystalloid.
From Heroes of Science Chemists by Muir, M. M. Pattison (Matthew Moncrieff Pattison)
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.
