n (meteorology) An
intimate mixture of two
substances one of which, called the
dispersed phase (or
'colloid'), is uniformly distributed in a finely divided state throughout the second substance, called the
dispersion medium (or dispersing medium). The dispersion medium may be a
gas, a
liquid, or a
solid, and the dispersed phase may also be any of these, with the exception that one does not speak of a colloidal system of one gas in another. A system of liquid or solid particles colloidally dispersed in a gas is called an
aerosol. A system of solid substances or water-
insoluble liquids colloidally dispersed in liquid water is called a
hydrosol.