gel
- Physical Chemistry. a semirigid colloidal dispersion of a solid with a liquid or gas, as jelly, glue, etc.
- Theater. gelatin(def 5).
- Biochemistry. a semirigid polymer, as agarose, starch, cellulose acetate, or polyacrylamide, cast into slabs or cylinders for the electrophoretic separation of proteins and nucleic acids.
- to form or become a gel.
- jell(def 2).
Origin of gel
Related Words for gel
materialize, crystallize, fix, strengthen, reinforce, solidify, stabilize, clot, curdle, swell, congeal, condense, transpire, ensue, befall, arise, thicken, stiffen, set, finalizeExamples from the Web for gel
Contemporary Examples of gel
My stranger-friend left the room to let the gel mask sit on my face for a bit.
Wilkinson says the gel combats the “I had a run-in with a can of paint” defense.
But waiting for a draft-Clark movement to gel turned out to be problematic.
The first step is to gel your hair and hit the gym to work on your fitness.
Historical Examples of gel
But show me the daughter that could do better for herself than my gel's father has done for her.
The Woman Thou Gavest MeHall Caine
A puff of wind and a slant of rain, as I've been saying to my gel here.
The Woman Thou Gavest MeHall Caine
Do you think I'm not doing my best for you, gel—my very best?
The Woman Thou Gavest MeHall Caine
You shall read it aloud to me, my gel—or, better still, I'll read it to you.
Sue, A Little HeroineL. T. Meade
I'm soory fur the gel, but ef she had the locket, of course she tuk the locket.
Sue, A Little HeroineL. T. Meade
gel
- a semirigid jelly-like colloid in which a liquid is dispersed in a solidnondrip paint is a gel
- See hair gel
- theatre informal See gelatine (def. 4)
- to become or cause to become a gel
- a variant spelling of jell
Word Origin for gel
Word Origin and History for gel
1899, as a chemical term, short for gelatin and perhaps influenced by jell. The invention of this word is credited to Scottish chemist Thomas Graham (1805-1869). Hair-styling sense is from 1958. The verb meaning "to become a gel" is attested by 1902; figurative sense is from 1958. Related: Gelled; gelling.
gel
(jĕl)- A colloid in which the disperse phase combines with the dispersion medium to produce a semisolid material.
- To become a gel.
- To convert a sol into a gel.