Peptized

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Dispersed a colloid into a stable solution by adding a substance that breaks up its clumped particles
2. Treated a gel or precipitate with a chemical agent so that it dissolved into a fine, evenly spread suspension
3. Caused solid particles to separate and remain suspended in a liquid through the action of an added agent

Etymology: "Peptized" is the past tense and past participle of "peptize," a verb meaning to break up clumps. The verb is built on the Greek "peptein," meaning "to cook" or "to digest," which gives a hint of how the idea took shape: digestion breaks food down into smaller, more soluble pieces, and chemists borrowed that picture for breaking up solid matter in a liquid. The verb belongs to the older chemical sense of "peptize," in which a substance that has clumped together is dispersed back into a fine suspension. Its root "peptic," from the same Greek source, already described the stomach's digestive action, so the chemical use reads as a deliberate analogy with the body rather than an unrelated coinage.