congeal

[ kuhn-jeel ]
See synonyms for: congealcongealed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to change from a soft or fluid state to a rigid or solid state, as by cooling or freezing: The fat congealed on the top of the soup.

  2. to curdle; coagulate, as a fluid.

  1. to make or become fixed, as ideas, sentiments, or principles: Some philosophic systems lost their vitality and congealed.

Origin of congeal

1
1350–1400; Middle English congelen (<Middle French congeler) <Latin congelāre, equivalent to con-con- + gelāre to freeze; see gelid

Other words for congeal

Other words from congeal

  • con·geal·a·ble, adjective
  • con·geal·a·bil·i·ty, con·geal·a·ble·ness, noun
  • con·geal·ed·ness, noun
  • con·geal·er, noun
  • con·geal·ment, noun
  • half-con·gealed, adjective
  • non·con·geal·ing, adjective, noun
  • un·con·geal, verb (used without object)
  • un·con·geal·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby congeal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use congeal in a sentence

  • The shock will soon congeal into fear-fueled groupthink and gridlock.

  • But when directed inward, that lifeblood tends to congeal, while exposed to rigorous movement it can offer sustaining power.

  • They do not congeal for the reason that the salt of the ocean lowers the point at which the water solidifies to near 28° Fahr.

    Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
  • The effect upon the water, already at freezing-point, would be to congeal the surface at once.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
  • Boil down the syrup to half its original quantity, but take care that it does not boil long enough to congeal or become thick.

  • Captain Scraggs shook his head as if his thoughts threatened to congeal in his brain and he desired to shake them up.

    Captain Scraggs | Peter B. Kyne
  • The jelly obstinately refused to clarify, and the blanc-mange was equally unwilling to congeal.

    Pencil Sketches | Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for congeal

congeal

/ (kənˈdʒiːl) /


verb
  1. to change or cause to change from a soft or fluid state to a firm or solid state

  2. to form or cause to form into a coagulated mass; curdle; jell

  1. (intr) (of ideas) to take shape or become fixed in form

Origin of congeal

1
C14: from Old French congeler, from Latin congelāre, from com- together + gelāre to freeze

Derived forms of congeal

  • congealable, adjective
  • congealer, noun
  • congealment, noun

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