Definition of: colloid

(kol′oid) noun
1. Any gluelike or jellylike substance, as gelatin, starch, raw egg white, etc., which diffuses not at all or very slowly through vegetable and animal membranes, and whose components do not separate as in a true solution or simple mixture: distinguished from crystalloid.
2. Chem. A state of matter in which very finely divided particles of one substance (the disperse phase) are suspended in another (the dispersion medium) in such manner and degree that the electrical and surface properties acquire special importance.
3. Med. A translucent, gelatinous substance resulting from certain forms of tissue degeneration.
—adjective Of or pertaining to a colloid or the colloid state: also col·loi·dal (kə·loid′l). [<Gk. kollōdēs gluelike]
—col·loi·dal·i·ty (kol′oi·dal′ə·tē) noun