gel

Meanings

Noun

• A semi-solid to almost solid colloid of a solid and a liquid, such as jelly, cheese or opal.
• Any gel intended for a particular cosmetic use, such as for styling the hair.
• A girl.

Verb

• To apply (cosmetic) gel to (the hair, etc).
• To become a gel.
• To develop a rapport.
• To come together to form something; to cohere.

Origin

• Coined by Thomas Graham in the mid 19th century as a clipping of gelatin, from French gélatine, from Italian gelatina, diminutive form of gelato, from Latin gelatus, past participle of gelo, from gelu, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- ("cold")
• Imitative of upper-class British pronunciation of girl.