gel

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.

verb (used without object), gelled, gel·ling.

4. to form or become a gel.
5. jell(def 2).

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)

verb gels, gelling or gelled

4. to become or cause to become a gel
5. a variant spelling of jell

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.

n.

1. A colloid in which the disperse phase combines with the dispersion medium to produce a semisolid material.

v.

1. To become a gel.
2. To convert a sol into a gel.