Deflocculating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of breaking up or dispersing clumps of particles suspended in a liquid to create a more uniform mixture
2. Causing solid particles in a liquid to separate and spread evenly by removing aggregations
3. Disrupting aggregates or flocs in a suspension to ensure particles are evenly dispersed within the fluid

Etymology: The verb "deflocculating" is built from "flocculate", a word for clumping particles, with the Latin prefix "de-" added. "Flocculate" itself comes from the Latin "floccus", meaning a lock of wool or a tuft, so the underlying image is of fibres gathering into small woolly tufts. The prefix "de-" in Latin meant "down" or "away from", and in English it often reverses or undoes an action, as in "decode" or "defrost". Put together, "deflocculate" means to undo that clumping, pulling scattered particles back apart so they no longer gather into flakes or lumps. In chemistry and ceramics, this is done by adding a substance that makes particles repel one another, which keeps a slurry evenly spread. The result is a smooth, uniform suspension, the opposite of the clotted mixture that flocculation produces.