Alkalifies

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To convert a substance into an alkaline state
2. To cause a material to become more alkaline, thus increasing its pH level
3. Transforming a solution or compound into one that has properties of a base or alkali

Etymology: "Alkalifies" is the third-person singular form of "alkalify," meaning to make something more alkaline. The verb is built from "alkali" plus the suffix "-fy," which comes from Latin "-ficare" through French and means "to make" or "to cause to become." So "alkalify" is a plain formation: it turns the noun for an alkaline substance into a verb for making things alkaline. The noun it rests on has a more surprising trail. "Alkali" comes from Arabic "al-qily," a term for the ashes of saltwort and similar plants, which were burned to extract a useful salt. That Arabic term passed into Medieval Latin as "alcali" and then into French, and English borrowed it from there, so the chemistry word carries the memory of ash-burning from the desert and coastal plants it was first made from.

Synonyms: neutralizes acid, makes alkaline, raises pH, basifies

Antonyms: acidifies, lowers pH, makes acidic, corrodes