coagulate

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. verb change from a liquid to a thickened or solid state
  2. verb cause to change from a liquid to a solid or thickened state
  3. adjective transformed from a liquid into a soft semisolid or solid mass

Etymology

From Middle English coagulaten (“(of blood) to clot or, make blood coagulate; (of tissue) to consolidate”), from coagulat(e) (“coagulated; (blood) clotted; (milk) curdled; (humor) thickened, viscous; (material) solidified, cohesive; (wine) boiled down, reduced”, also used as the past participle of coagulaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin coāgulātus, the perfect passive participle of coāgulō (“to curdle, coagulate”), from coāgulum (“a means of curdling, rennet”), from cōgō (“bring together, gather, collect”) + -ulum (forms instrument nouns), from co- (“together”) + agō (“do, make, drive”). Doublet of quail. Displaced native Middle English irennen, from Old English ġerinnan, but not native curdle.

In classic literature

Synonyms

clot

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