gel

[ jel ]

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.

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

gel

/ dʒɛl /

noun

1. a semirigid jelly-like colloid in which a liquid is dispersed in a solid

   nondrip paint is a gel

2. See hair gel
3. informal.
   theatre See gelatine

verb

1. to become or cause to become a gel
2. a variant spelling of jell

Other Words From

• de·gel verb (used with object) degelled degelling
• non·gelling adjective
• re·gel verb (used without object) regelled regelling

Word History and Origins

Origin of gel¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; shortening of gelatin

Word History and Origins

Origin of gel¹

C19: by shortening from gelatine

Example Sentences

How will Sir Keir Starmer, the former north London human rights lawyer, gel with the brash New York billionaire?

From BBC

After the 2016 election, once everyone recovered from the shock, the analyses of what happened started to gel into a conventional wisdom that argued Donald Trump won because a bunch of non-college-educated white people felt "economic anxiety."

From Salon

Last year, Beverly Hills passed an ordinance banning people under 21 years old from having Silly String — or shaving cream or hair removal gel — in public on Halloween.

From Los Angeles Times

Spencer Rattler isn’t likely to roll into Los Angeles and beat the Chargers, who are slowly starting to gel as a team under Jim Harbaugh.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather than crossing his fingers and hoping for the best, Rob has a number of advanced - and somewhat less advanced - tools to try and cut down on delays including high-tech trains, sand and steel gel, water and even lemon juice.

From BBC

Related Words

• clot
• condense
• congeal
• curdle
• swell