Congealed

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. Having undergone a process of thickening or solidifying due to cooling or chemical change
2. Pertaining to a substance that has transitioned from a liquid to a more solid state through temperature reduction or other physical mechanisms
3. Resulting from a transformation where a liquid becomes thicker or solid as a result of cooling or other physical processes

Etymology: "Congealed" is the past form of "congeal", and the verb arrives in English from Middle French, which took it from Latin. Its Latin ancestor, "congelare", combines "con-", meaning "together" or "thoroughly", with "gelare", meaning "to freeze". The idea at the core is freezing: things that were loose, such as fat, blood or gravy, were pulled together into a firm mass. The verb reached Middle English as "congelen" and kept its close link to cold. Its Latin root "gelare" also gave English "gelid", meaning icy, and this shows how thoroughly the verb began as a word for freezing. Its meaning broadened over time, so that a liquid can congeal simply by cooling, or through a chemical change, without ever becoming ice.

Synonyms: solidified, coagulated, thickened

Antonyms: liquefied, melted