flocos

Flocos is the Portuguese noun for flakes; plural flocos. It describes small, flat, irregularly shaped pieces of material. The term is used across different domains to denote thin fragments that have broken or been formed into flake-like shapes. The specific meaning depends on context, but the common idea is a light, layered fragment with a broad surface.

In cooking and food, flocos often refers to cereal flakes such as corn flakes used as breakfast, but can also denote other dry, thin fragments like chocolate flakes or coconut flakes that are sprinkled on desserts.

In natural phenomena, snowflakes may be described as flocos in Portuguese. Flocos de neve are ice crystals that form in clouds. Their shapes vary with temperature and humidity; once formed, they often display hexagonal symmetry but can show many other patterns due to atmospheric conditions during growth and descent.

In science and industry, floco or flocos refer to aggregates formed when particles clump together during flocculation, a process used in water treatment, pulp processing, and mining to improve sedimentation and filtration. Flocs are typically held together by chemical coagulants, natural polymers, or mechanical forces.

Other uses include descriptive terms in crafts, textiles, or decorative contexts where the word conveys a fluffy, flaky texture or a small fragment.