Anodisation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of treating a metal surface electrochemically to form a protective oxide layer that enhances corrosion resistance and durability
2. An electrochemical method used to create a tough, wear-resistant oxide film on metals to protect them from corrosion and wear
3. A surface treatment technique involving the conversion of metal surfaces into a hard oxide coating through anodic oxidation for improved protection

Etymology: "Anodisation" is the British spelling of "anodization," and it is a modern technical formation rather than an old word. It combines "anode," the electrode at which oxidation occurs in an electrochemical cell, with the suffix "-ization" (here "-isation"), which turns a noun into the name of a process. The result describes a treatment in which the metal part is made the anode in an electrolytic bath, so that its surface oxidises into a thin, dense oxide film. The "anode" element comes from Greek. The Greek noun "anodos" meant "a way up" or "ascent," built from "ana-" (up) and "hodos" (way). Michael Faraday adopted the word in the 1830s for the electrode through which current enters an electrolytic cell, which is where the modern term gets its core. The suffix carries its own history. The "-ize" ending passed into English through Late Latin "-izare," which in turn came from Greek "-izein," and the process noun ending "-ation" came through Old French from Latin. Together they show how a scientific coinage built from classical parts can produce a name for an industrial process that the ancient Greeks and Romans could not have imagined.

Synonyms: anodization, electrolytic oxidation