Flocculate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The phenomenon where small particles agglomerate into larger clusters in a liquid medium occurs during specific conditions of suspension
2. A process characterized by the coming together of fine particles to create larger aggregates or flocs in a fluid environment
3. The process by which fine particles in a liquid gather together into clumps or clusters

Etymology: "Flocculate" is a modern scientific coinage, built in Latin style from "flocculus," a diminutive of "floccus," meaning a lock or tuft of wool or hair. The Latin root carries the image: a tiny tuft, the kind of fluffy wisp that gathers from a loose mass of fibres. The "-ate" ending, common in chemistry and biology, turns the noun into a verb meaning to make or form such tufts. The word is a product of scientific internationalism, the practice of drawing on classical Latin and Greek to name new discoveries, so it has no history in everyday speech before its technical use. Its sense is still tied to that original picture. When fine particles suspended in a liquid gather into soft, loose clumps that can settle out, they are said to flocculate, a process that matters in water treatment, where chemicals are added to make impurities clump together for removal.

Synonyms: aggregate, clump, coagulate

Antonyms: disperse, dissolve