Coagulation

Coagulation a technical term more familiar to cooks than is the companion term ‘flocculation’. The two are often confused, but have different meanings, and the distinction between them is worth knowing.

Flocculation and connected words such as flocculent (and the charming but neglected word ‘floccose’) are all derived from the Latin floccus, meaning a tuft or a lock of wool. Cirrus clouds may be described as having a flocculent appearance; and it is easy to see the resemblance between them and the loose, ragged patches of solid matter in a sauce which has separated.