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flocculate

[flok-yuh-leyt]
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verb (used with object), floc·cu·lat·ed, floc·cu·lat·ing.
  1. to form into flocculent masses.
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verb (used without object), floc·cu·lat·ed, floc·cu·lat·ing.
  1. to form flocculent masses, as a cloud or a chemical precipitate; form aggregated or compound masses of particles.
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Origin of flocculate

First recorded in 1820–30; floccul(us) + -ate1
Related formsfloc·cu·la·ble [flok-yuh-luh-buh l] /ˈflɒk yə lə bəl/, adjectivefloc·cu·la·tion, nounfloc·cu·la·tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for flocculation

flocculate

verb
  1. to form or be formed into an aggregated flocculent mass
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Derived Formsflocculation, noun
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

Word Origin and History for flocculation

n.

1885, from flocculate + -ion.

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flocculate

v.

1877, from flocculus (1799, from Modern Latin diminutive of Latin floccus "flock of wool") + -ate. Related: Flocculated; flocculating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
flocculation in Medicine

flocculation

(flŏk′yə-lā′shən)
n.
  1. The process of becoming flocculent.
  2. Precipitation from solution in the form of fleecy masses.
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Related formsfloc′cu•late′ v.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
flocculation in Science

flocculation

[flŏk′yə-lā′shən]
  1. The process by which individual particles of clay aggregate into clotlike masses or precipitate into small lumps. Flocculation occurs as a result of a chemical reaction between the clay particles and another substance, usually salt water.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.