Collodion
/kəˈləʊdiən/noun
A syrupy solution of nitrated cellulose in ether and alcohol, formerly used in photography, medicine, and explosives.
Did you know?In nineteenth-century wet-plate photography, collodion was poured onto glass to create a light-sensitive film that had to be exposed and developed while still wet.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
κόλλα (kólla)
“Glue or a sticky substance”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κολλώδης (kollṓdēs)
“Glue-like or sticky”
19th Century
New Latin
collodium
“A preparation resembling glue, formed from the Greek root for glue”
1848
English
collodion
“A solution of nitrated cellulose in ether and alcohol, introduced for medical and photographic use”
Modern English
English
collodion
“A volatile cellulose solution used historically in photography and medicine”