coagulate

[ verb koh-ag-yuh-leyt; adjective koh-ag-yuh-lit, -leyt ]

verb (used with or without object)

, co·ag·u·lat·ed, co·ag·u·lat·ing.

1. to change from a fluid into a thickened mass; curdle; congeal:

   Let the pudding stand two hours until it coagulates.

   Synonyms: thicken, solidify, set, clot

2. Biology. (of blood) to form a clot.
3. Physical Chemistry. (of colloidal particles) to flocculate or cause to flocculate by adding an electrolyte to an electrostatic colloid.

adjective

1. Obsolete. coagulated.

coagulate

/ kəʊˈæɡjʊlətɪv /

verb

1. to cause (a fluid, such as blood) to change into a soft semisolid mass or (of such a fluid) to change into such a mass; clot; curdle
2. chem to separate or cause to separate into distinct constituent phases

noun

1. the solid or semisolid substance produced by coagulation

Derived Forms

• coˌagulaˈbility, noun
• coˈagulable, adjective
• coagulative, adjective
• coˌaguˈlation, noun

Other Words From

• co·agu·lation noun
• co·ag·u·la·to·ry [koh-, ag, -y, uh, -l, uh, -tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], co·ag·u·la·tive [koh-, ag, -y, uh, -ley-tiv, -l, uh, -tiv], adjective
• anti·co·agu·lating adjective
• anti·co·agu·lation noun adjective
• nonco·agu·lating adjective
• nonco·agu·lation noun
• nonco·agu·lative adjective
• reco·agu·late verb recoagulated recoagulating
• reco·agu·lation noun
• unco·agu·lated adjective
• unco·agu·lating adjective
• unco·agu·lative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of coagulate¹

1350–1400 for earlier past participle senses “solidified, clotted,” 1605–15 coagulate fordef 1; Middle English < Latin coāgulāt ( us ) (past participle of coāgulāre ), equivalent to coāgul ( um ) coagulum + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of coagulate¹

C16: from Latin coāgulāre to make (a liquid) curdle, from coāgulum rennet, from cōgere to drive together

Example Sentences

The OrganEx perfusate fluid circumvents this because it cannot coagulate.

From MIT Technology Review

The acidity in the lemon coagulates the fats in the cream and thickens it, which is the same method as making a sour cream or mascarpone, but you don’t need to strain.

From The Daily Beast

The next morning it’s heated, enzymes are added, and the milk is left to coagulate.

From Eater

When enzymes are added to heated milk, they cause existing caseins to coagulate and separate from the liquid substance or whey.

From Popular-Science

It seemed that the water molecules must have been coagulating in some way to produce “polywater.”

From Science News

As rennets differ much in quality, enough should be used to coagulate the milk sufficiently in about forty minutes.

From Project Gutenberg

To a certain extent, the effect of the acid may be to coagulate and precipitate the colloidal sulphide.

From Project Gutenberg

It is also a well-established fact, that the blood does not coagulate after death from this cause.

From Project Gutenberg

If the stock is not reduced and more jelly is desired, unflavored gelatine may be dissolved and added to coagulate the liquid.

From Project Gutenberg

People are people, and classes are merely clubs where more or less congenial neighbors coagulate, more or less haphazard.

From Project Gutenberg