What does collodion mean?
Collodion is a thick, syrupy liquid made by dissolving nitrocellulose in a mixture of ether and alcohol. When spread on a surface, its solvent evaporates and leaves behind a tough, transparent film that clings tightly to skin or glass. This property has given collodion two principal uses: in medicine, where 'flexible collodion' serves as a liquid bandage that seals small cuts, blisters, and surgical incisions, and in the history of photography, where the wet-collodion process of the mid-nineteenth century coated glass plates with a light-sensitive emulsion and dramatically reduced exposure times. The word derives from Greek roots meaning 'glue-like', a fitting description of its adhesive character. Though largely displaced by modern dressings and dry photographic film, collodion survives in pharmacy and among practitioners of historical photographic techniques, making it a useful term in both clinical and art-historical discussion.
nounA viscous, syrupy solution of nitrocellulose (pyroxylin) in ether and alcohol, which dries to a transparent film; used in medicine as a liquid protective dressing for wounds and historically in photography as the coating for wet-plate negatives.
- A viscous solution of nitrocellulose in ether and alcohol that dries to a transparent protective film, used medically as a liquid bandage.
- The same substance as used in early photography, where it served as the light-sensitive coating on glass plates in the wet-collodion (wet-plate) process.
"The surgeon painted a layer of collodion over the incision to seal it while it healed."
"She applied flexible collodion to the blister so she could keep hiking without a conventional bandage."
"Civil War-era photographers relied on the collodion process, sensitizing each glass plate by hand moments before exposure."
Rarely used; collodion normally functions as an uncountable mass noun. A plural appears only when referring to distinct commercial or chemical formulations.
"The formulary listed several collodions, including flexible and salicylic acid preparations."
Before modern film, photographers coated glass plates with sticky collodion and had to develop them while still wet — lugging entire darkrooms into the field just to take a single picture.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of collodion
Collodion comes from the Greek 'kollōdēs', meaning 'glue-like', itself derived from 'kolla', meaning glue. The word was coined in the nineteenth century when the substance was first prepared, reflecting its sticky, adhesive nature. It shares this Greek root with related terms such as 'colloid' and 'collagen', all pointing back to the idea of gluing or gelatinous substance.
How collodion is actually used
Collodion is a technical term encountered mainly in medical, pharmaceutical, and photographic-historical contexts; it is not part of everyday vocabulary. It functions grammatically as an uncountable mass noun, though a plural 'collodions' occasionally appears when referring to different formulations (e.g., plain, flexible, or salicylic acid collodion).
Easily confused with collodion
A colloid is a type of mixture in which particles are dispersed throughout another substance, whereas collodion is a specific nitrocellulose solution used as a coating or dressing.
Collagen is a structural protein found in animal connective tissue, whereas collodion is a synthetic solution of nitrocellulose in ether and alcohol.