crystalloid

American  

[kris-tl-oid] / ˈkrɪs tlˌɔɪd /

noun

1. a usually crystallizable substance that, when dissolved in a liquid, will diffuse readily through vegetable or animal membranes.

2. Botany. one of certain minute crystallike granules of protein, found in the tissues of various seeds.

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adjective

1. resembling a crystal.

2. of the nature of a crystalloid.

crystalloid British  

/ ˈkrɪstəˌlɔɪd /

adjective

1. resembling or having the appearance or properties of a crystal or crystalloid

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noun

1. a substance that in solution can pass through a semipermeable membrane Compare colloid

2. botany any of numerous crystals of protein occurring in certain seeds and other storage organs

Other Word Forms

• crystalloidal adjective

Etymology

Origin of crystalloid

From the Greek word krystalloeidḗs, dating back to 1860–65. See crystall-, -oid

Example Sentences

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 )

Colloidal solutions diffuse light, unlike crystalloid solutions, which are transparent.

From The Mechanism of Life by Leduc, Stéphane

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)

Crystallization.—When we evaporate a solution of a crystalloid it becomes more concentrated, slow movements of diffusion are set up, and at a given moment agglomeration occurs, the agglomerates taking the form of crystals.

From The Mechanism of Life by Leduc, Stéphane