Acidifiers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A chemical agent that increases the acidity of solutions in culinary or chemical applications; A substance that alters the pH balance to make a product more sour or tart; An additive used to enhance or modify the acidic properties of foods and beverages for various purposes
2. A compound used to raise the acidity level in various substances, commonly to affect flavor or chemical reactions
3. A material added to decrease pH, making a mixture more acidic for cooking or industrial use

Etymology: "Acidifier" is a plain formation: the verb "acidify" with the agent suffix "-er" added to name the thing that does the acidifying. "Acidify" comes from "acid" plus the verb-forming ending "-ify", which in English descends from Latin "-ificare", "to make", so the sense is literally "to make acid." The word for the substance is therefore just "that which makes something acid." The suffix does more work than it first appears. The "-er" ending traces back through Old English "-ere" and Latin "-arius," originally a marker of a person or agent connected with a trade or role, and it was later extended to tools and devices. English has long used it this way, so a word like "acidifier" needed no special coinage: once "acidify" existed, the ending could attach to it directly.

Synonyms: sour agents, acids