noun
gel
jehl
noun
1
A soft, semi-solid substance somewhere between a liquid and a solid, such as hair gel or a jelly-like material.
"She smoothed a bit of gel through her hair."
"The wound was treated with an antiseptic gel."
verb
1
To come together successfully as a group or idea; to click.
"The new team gelled quickly after a few practices."
"His plans hadn't quite gelled yet."
How to Use Gel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA jelly-like substance, or (as a verb) for people or ideas to come together well.
Common pairings
hair gel
shower gel
ideas gelled
the team gelled
Word Forms
gelled past tense, gels plural, gels plural, gels singular
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Etymology
Coined in the 1800s by chemist Thomas Graham as a short form of gelatin, which itself traces back to Latin gelu, "frost."