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col·lo·di·on

(kə-lōdē-ən)

A highly flammable, colorless or yellowish syrupy solution of nitrocellulose, ether, and alcohol, used as an adhesive to close small wounds and hold surgical dressings, in topical medications, and for making photographic plates.

[Variant of collodium, from New Latin collōdium, gluey substance, from Greek kollōdēs, glutinous, gluelike : kolla, glue + -ōdēs, adj. suffix (earlier, having the smell of, from ozein, od-, to smell).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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