Acidifies

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To transform a compound by increasing its acidic nature, thereby altering its pH towards a more acidic range
2. To increase the acidity of a substance, lowering its pH level
3. Causing a material to become sour or more chemically acidic

Etymology: "Acidifies" is the third-person singular form of "acidify," so it simply carries the verb's meaning: to make something more acidic. The verb is built from "acid," which traces back to Latin "acidus," meaning "sour" or "acid," and the suffix "-ify," which comes from Latin "-ificare" and turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make" or "to cause to become." Chemists and cooks use "acidify" in exactly this sense, adding acid to a solution until it reaches a lower pH. The pattern is the same one behind "beautify," "purify" and "solidify," where "-ify" marks the act of making something into the condition named by its base. Because "acid" itself came into English from French and Latin, "acidify" is a relatively late, transparent formation rather than a word with a dramatic story. Its neighbour in French, "acidifier," shows the same construction, so the word follows a shared European pattern for turning a quality into an action.

Synonyms: sours, tartifies

Antonyms: neutralizes, alkalizes