Alkalinization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of making a substance or environment more basic by increasing its pH level through the addition of alkaline compounds or reduction of acidity
2. An action or series of changes that raise the pH balance of a solution or system, resulting in a shift toward alkaline conditions and reduced acidity
3. A chemical or biological transformation that involves enhancing the alkalinity of a medium, thereby decreasing its acidic properties and elevating its pH value

Etymology: The word is a plain modern formation: "alkaline" with the suffix "-ization," which turns an adjective into a noun for a process. "Alkaline" itself comes from the Arabic "al-qaly," meaning the ashes of saltwort, a plant whose ashes were a source of soda. European chemists in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries used "alkali" for such substances, and "alkaline" became the adjective describing them. The suffix does the real work. It descends through Latin "-ātiō" and Old French "-acion," and the "-ize" element behind "-ization" came into English from Middle French "-iser" and Late Latin "-izāre," itself borrowed from Ancient Greek. Chemists needed a single noun for the whole act of making a solution less acidic, and attaching "-ization" to "alkaline" gave them one. The result is a technical coinage, so no ancient writer ever used it.

Synonyms: alkalization, neutralization

Antonyms: acidification