Aerosolising

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Converting a liquid or solid into tiny airborne particles to create a fine mist or spray
2. Changing a material into a dispersed cloud of fine droplets suspended in air
3. Breaking down a substance into a fine aerosol form so it can float or spread through the air

Etymology: "Aerosolising" is the British-style spelling of "aerosolizing," and it sits at the end of a chain that begins with "aerosol" itself, a word coined in the early 20th century from Greek and Latin parts. The first half comes from ancient Greek "aēr," meaning air, which gave us "aero-" in English. The second half, "sol," traces back through the Latin "solutio," meaning a loosening or dissolving, which English later borrowed as "solution." Put together, "aerosol" describes a substance dissolved or dispersed in air. The verb "aerosolise" was formed by adding the suffix "-ise" to that noun. The "-ise" ending descends from Greek "-izein," passing through Late Latin "-izare" and Old French "-iser," and it became a standard way of turning nouns into verbs meaning "to treat with," "to convert into," or "to make into." So to aerosolise something is to turn it into aerosol form.

Synonyms: atomizing, spraying, dispersing