emulsify

[ ih-muhl-suh-fahy ]

verb (used with or without object)

, e·mul·si·fied, e·mul·si·fy·ing.

1. to make into or form an emulsion.

emulsify

/ ɪˈmʌlsɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. to make or form into an emulsion

Derived Forms

• eˌmulsifiˈcation, noun
• eˈmulsiˌfiable, adjective

Other Words From

• e·mul·si·fi·a·ble [ih-muhl-s, uh, -, fahy, -, uh, -b, uh, l], e·mul·si·ble adjective
• e·mul·si·fi·a·bil·i·ty [ih-muhl-s, uh, -fahy-, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], e·mul·si·bil·i·ty [ih-muhl-s, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• e·mul·si·fi·ca·tion [ih-muhl-s, uh, -f, uh, -, key, -sh, uh, n], noun
• e·mul·si·fi·er noun
• un·e·mul·si·fied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of emulsify¹

First recorded in 1855–60; from Latin ēmuls(us) ( emulsion ) + -ify

Example Sentences

If your aioli breaks, or doesn’t emulsify and looks clumpy instead of smooth, fix it by starting over in a clean bowl with a fresh egg yolk.

From Washington Post

Emulsify evenly by shaking (either by hand or in a shaking machine) for ten minutes.

From Project Gutenberg

With a platinum loop emulsify the growth from the surface of the medium as evenly as possible in the saline solution.

From Project Gutenberg

In any method it is necessary to saponify or emulsify the grease on the grain, or difficulties occur in dyeing and finishing.

From Project Gutenberg

They also saponify and emulsify the grease, and it is obvious, therefore, that liming can be carried too far.

From Project Gutenberg

Its chief purpose is to emulsify fats and to supply the alimentary tract with the requisite amount of moisture.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Emulsify

What does emulsify mean?

To emulsify is to form an emulsion—a mixture of two liquids that don’t fully combine.

An emulsion may look like a single liquid, but it’s made up of particles of one liquid distributed throughout another liquid. For example, if you emulsify oil and water, it forms an emulsion in which small droplets of oil are suspended in the water, but the two liquids aren’t fully blended together (as they would be if you stirred together water and vinegar, for example).

In technical chemistry terms, an emulsion is a colloidal suspension in which the substances mixed together are both liquids. Both colloids and suspensions involve particles of one substance distributed in another without being dissolved.

Emulsions are used in a variety of contexts, including pharmacology, cooking, and photography.

In cooking, liquids or liquid-like ingredients are emulsified in order to make sauces with a smooth consistency. A common example of an emulsion is the kind of salad dressings called a vinaigrette, which is made by emulsifying oil and vinegar.

Example: To emulsify oil and vinegar, you have to whisk very hard to separate the oil into tiny droplets, or else the two liquids will separate.

Where does emulsify come from?

The first records of the word emulsify come from the 1850s. It ultimately comes from the Latin emulsus, meaning “milked out,” from the Latin verb mulgēre, “to milk.”

A less common meaning of emulsion is “any liquid resembling milk.” We don’t usually think of milk as an emulsion, but it consists of water and milk fat that have been emulsified. The reason we don’t notice is because the fat particles have been distributed equally through the process of homogenization. Milk that is sold with the original amount of fat (or cream) is often called whole milk. Milk that has had some of this cream removed is called skim milk. 

Emulsions have all kinds of practical applications. Many medications consist of an oily medicine that has been emulsified with another liquid. In cooking, emulsifying ingredients allows them to be combined into a single sauce. Sometimes, an emulsion “breaks”—meaning the two substances separate, and must be emulsified again. An emulsifier is an ingredient added to an emulsion to help keep it stable.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to emulsify?

• emulsified (past tense verb, adjective)
• emulsifier (noun)
• emulsifiable (adjective)
• emulsible (adjective)
• emulsifiability (noun)
• emulsibility (noun)
• emulsion (noun)

What are some synonyms for emulsify?

• blend

What are some words that share a root or word element with emulsify? 

• emulsoid

What are some words that often get used in discussing emulsify?

• whisk
• liquid
• oil
• water
• vinegar
• sauce
• suspension
• colloid

How is emulsify used in real life?

The word emulsify is commonly used in cooking, but emulsions have applications in many fields.

Todays HOW TO video, Homemade Mayonnaise.

A few tips..
•I use one whole egg and one yolk. The white in the whole egg helps emulsify it with the oil, so you have less chance of splitting it at home
•If you like a thicker mayonnaise you can leave out the water and add more oil pic.twitter.com/2ZP7UJC6kS

— Mark Greenaway (@markgreenaway) May 14, 2020

You can either use the stem itself as a lip stain. Or you can juice it and use the juice as a lipgloss if you emulsify it with a coconut oil or Shea butter. Keep extra in the freezer so it keeps longer. 💜

— the.write (@aa_cobble) July 25, 2020

I sometimes add ghee to my coffee and emulsify it with a little stick blender, and it *tastes* much smoother to me. Not sure if it’s doing something that would be less irritating, too! (I do not have reflux but I do need coffee to live, so I feel for you!)

— Amy Morgan (@amymorganedits) July 30, 2020

 

 

Try using emulsify!

True or False? 

You can emulsify a liquid and a gas.