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gel

[jel]
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noun
  1. Physical Chemistry. a semirigid colloidal dispersion of a solid with a liquid or gas, as jelly, glue, etc.
  2. Theater. gelatin(def 5).
  3. 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.
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verb (used without object), gelled, gel·ling.
  1. to form or become a gel.
  2. jell(def 2).
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Origin of gel

First recorded in 1895–1900; shortening of gelatin
Related formsde·gel, verb (used with object), de·gelled, de·gel·ling.non·gel·ling, adjectivere·gel, verb (used without object), re·gelled, re·gel·ling.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for gelling

gel

noun
  1. a semirigid jelly-like colloid in which a liquid is dispersed in a solidnondrip paint is a gel
  2. See hair gel
  3. theatre informal See gelatine (def. 4)
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verb gels, gelling or gelled
  1. to become or cause to become a gel
  2. a variant spelling of jell
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Word Origin

C19: by shortening from gelatine
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 gelling

gel

n.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gelling in Medicine

gel

(jĕl)
n.
  1. A colloid in which the disperse phase combines with the dispersion medium to produce a semisolid material.
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v.
  1. To become a gel.
  2. To convert a sol into a gel.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.