Alkalizer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A substance added to food, drink or the body to raise its pH and make it less acidic
2. Any agent that neutralizes acid and shifts a solution or bodily fluid toward alkalinity
3. Something taken or applied to counteract acidity by increasing the alkaline content of a mixture

Etymology: Alkalizer is a plain formation: the verb "alkalize" with the agent suffix "-er" added, so it names a thing that alkalizes. The verb itself comes from "alkali", a word that entered English from Medieval Latin, where "alkali" was borrowed from Arabic "al-qaly", a name for the ashes of saltwort plants burned to make a crude soda used in glassmaking and soap. The original sense was therefore a practical substance rather than an abstract chemical category. The "-ize" in "alkalize" turns the noun into a verb meaning to make something alkaline, and "-er" then makes a noun for the agent that does so. Because the suffixes are ordinary English ones, the term is easily coined from the base without needing a separate borrowing, which is why it reads as a transparent piece of chemistry vocabulary.

Synonyms: alkalinizer