Alkalisation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The method of enhancing a solution's basicity by elevating its pH level involves the neutralization of acids present, resulting in an alkaline state through various chemical processes
2. This procedure modifies a substance's acidity by increasing pH, effectively neutralizing its acidic components to achieve a more alkaline composition
3. A chemical process that raises the pH of a solution or material to create a more basic environment

Etymology: The word is a chain of borrowings, and its oldest piece is an Arabic article. "Al-qily" was the Arabic name for the ashes of saltwort plants, which were burned and leached to make a crude alkaline substance. Medieval Latin took it as "alcali," and French followed with "alcali," and English borrowed "alkali" from there. The chemical sense of the stuff is therefore older than any of the chemistry built around it. "Alkalisation" is simpler on the surface: it is "alkali" with the suffix "-ization," which carries the sense of making something into a particular state. That suffix comes down through Greek "-izein," then Late Latin "-izare," then Old French and Middle English forms, and it reached English as a productive ending that could attach to almost any noun. The result is a word that describes the act of turning something alkaline, built from an Arabic word for plant ash plus a Greek-derived suffix.

Synonyms: neutralization, alkalization, treatment, adjustment, modification