congeal

/kənˈdʒiːl/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈdʒiːl/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈjēl/ (ame, mw)

congeal — verb

  • congealpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • congealshe / she / it
  • congealedpast simple
  • congealing-ing form

1. to become thick and semi-solid, or to turn a liquid into a thickened or solid st

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to become thick and semi-solid, or to turn a liquid into a thickened or solid state, especially through cooling

例句

The fat from the roasting pan congealed into a hard white layer as it cooled.

intransitive: congeal + into [resulting form]

Jia left the soup bowl on the counter overnight, and the broth congealed into a thick jelly.

intransitive with time-lapse context

同義詞
  • solidify

    suggests becoming completely hard, not just thick

  • thicken

    broader and more everyday; does not imply a solid result

  • coagulate

    specifically of blood, milk, or similar biological fluids

  • set

    used for jelly, glue, concrete; informal and very common

反義詞
  • melt

    reverse process: solid or thick → liquid

  • liquefy

    technical; to become liquid

文法句型

congeal + into [thick/solid form]

congeal + on [surface]

[cold agent] + congeal + [object]

用法筆記

Common subjects include cooking fats, sauces, blood, gravy and similar substances that naturally thicken when cool. The verb is usually intransitive (the substance congeals), but a transitive use is possible with an agent of cold or time (the cold congealed the fat). The figurative sense ('ideas congealed into a plan') is rare and considered literary.

常見錯誤

❌The water in the freezer congealed into ice.
✅The water in the freezer froze into ice.
💡congeal describes thickening or coagulating, not freezing at 0°C.
❌I congealed the sauce by adding flour.
✅I thickened the sauce by adding flour.
💡congeal does not mean adding a thickener; it is a natural process, usually from cooling.