Agatizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A process or transformation involving the conversion of materials into agate or similar forms, creating a gemstone-like structure
2. The act of subjecting substances to conditions that result in their mineralization resembling agate, often noted for vivid patterns
3. A geological phenomenon in which organic or inorganic materials are turned into agate, resulting in intricate and colorful formations

Etymology: "Agatizes" is the third-person singular form of "agatize," so the verb's story is essentially the story of its two parts. The base word "agate" is a very old name for a banded or clouded form of chalcedony, a variety of quartz, and it entered English by way of Old French and Latin from Greek "achátēs," a name for a stone said to have been found along a river in Sicily. The suffix "-ize" comes from Greek "-izein" through Late Latin "-izāre," which turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make into" or "to treat in the manner of." Put together, to agatize something is to make it resemble agate.

Synonyms: fossilizes, petrifies, mineralizes, hardens, crystallizes

Antonyms: melts, softens, liquefies, dissolves, erodes