A clear, viscous solution made from cellulose nitrate dissolved in alcohol and ether, historically used in photography and medicine.
From Greek 'kolla' (glue) + '-oid' (resembling) + '-on' (chemical). Invented in 1847 and became crucial for 'wet plate' photography in the 1850s-1880s.
Collodion was so revolutionary that photographers would carry chemistry labs into battlefields—the American Civil War was the first war extensively photographed using collodion plates, which captured the horror of modern warfare for the first time.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.