Brominates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Introduces bromine atoms into a chemical compound through a chemical reaction
2. Chemically attaches bromine elements to molecules by substitution or addition
3. Incorporates bromine into substances, changing their chemical structure by bromination

Etymology: "Brominates" is the third-person singular present form of "brominate," which means to add bromine to something. The verb is built from "bromine" plus the suffix "-ate," a common chemical ending used to form verbs from element names, so the real story lies in the element itself. Bromine was named in the 1820s from the Greek "brômos," meaning "stench," a fitting label for a dark red liquid with a sharp, unpleasant smell. The chain of borrowings is long but straightforward. The Greek root passed into French as "brome," and the French chemists who helped identify the element gave it that name, which English adopted as "bromine." The suffix "-ate" traces back through Latin "-ātus" to much older sources, and English chemists added it to element names to form verbs describing the process of combining a substance with that element.

Synonyms: halogenates, substitutes with bromine, adds bromine, reacts with bromine, bromides

Antonyms: debrominates, removes bromine, dehalogenates