English Explanatory Dictionary

gel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A semi-solid to almost solid colloid of a solid and a liquid, such as jelly, cheese or opal.
  2. Any gel intended for a particular cosmetic use, such as for styling the hair.
  3. A film of flexible transparent plastic (such as acetate, celluloid, or cellophane) suitable for making superimpositions or diapositives (image to overlay on other images, especially for overhead projectors); a digital virtual equivalent of this.
verb
  1. To apply (cosmetic) gel to (the hair, etc).
  2. To become a gel: to set up.
  3. To develop a rapport.
  4. To come together to form something; to cohere.
noun
  1. A girl.

Pronunciation

jĕl /d͡ʒɛl/ [d͡ʒɛɫ] en-us-gel.ogg gĕl /ɡɛl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gel2.wav

Word forms

gel gels gelling gelled

Etymology

Coined by Thomas Graham in the mid 19th century as a clipping of gelatin, from French gélatine, from Italian gelatina, diminutive form of gelata (“iced”), from Latin gelata, past participle of gelo (“to freeze”), from gelu (“frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”). For the meaning development compare with Russian сту́день (stúdenʹ, “aspic, jelly, gel”) related to студёный (studjónyj, “cold”).

Synonyms

set jell out

Related words

aerosol colloid emulsion foam sol

Derived words

aerogel alcogel biogel chalcogel cryogel energy gel ferrogel gel bracelet gelcoat gel electrophoresis gelless gel pen hair gel hand gel hydrogel incendigel ionogel light gel macrogel microgel minigel mucigel nanogel organogel pepper gel piping gel pseudogel semenogelin shaving gel shower gel silica gel softgel sol-gel sonogel thermal gel thermogel tightening gel xerogel nongelling thermogelling
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