Fluidised

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Converted into a fluid-like state by suspending fine solid particles in a flowing gas or liquid; made to behave like a fluid; caused to flow or move smoothly and continuously
2. Transformed by introducing a gas or liquid to solid particles so they act like a liquid; made to have the properties of a flowing substance; enabled to move in a continuous manner
3. Suspended and stirred to mimic the characteristics of a fluid by passing a fluid upward through solid particles; altered to possess fluid motion; rendered capable of smooth and constant flow

Etymology: "Fluidised" is the past tense and past participle of "fluidise", which is formed from "fluid" and the verb-forming suffix "-ise". "Fluid" comes from Latin "fluidus", meaning flowing, from "fluere", to flow. The suffix "-ise" (also spelled "-ize" in American English) turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make or cause to become something, so "fluidise" means to make fluid. The verb's most striking sense is technical. Engineers use fluidisation to describe a bed of fine solid particles that is held up and stirred by a stream of fluid pushed upward through it, so that the solids behave like a liquid. The solids can be poured, pumped and mixed as if they were flowing, even though they remain solid grains. The same word also covers the more general sense of making something flow smoothly and constantly.

Synonyms: fluidized, liquefied, aerated

Antonyms: solidified, compacted