Decarburizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove carbon from a metal or alloy, often through chemical or thermal treatment; to reduce the carbon content in a material to change its properties; to decarbonize by extracting carbon atoms from a substance
2. The process of extracting carbon from steel or iron usually by oxidation or heating; lowering the carbon concentration in a solid material; eliminating carbon compounds to alter physical characteristics
3. The act of removing carbon content from a metallic surface or substance by chemical reaction or heat; decreasing the amount of carbon to modify hardness or ductility; cleansing a material of carbon impurities

Etymology: "Decarburizes" is the third-person singular form of "decarburize," a verb built from the prefix "de-" and "carburize." The prefix "de-" comes from Latin and signals reversal or removal, so the verb means to undo carburizing: taking carbon out of a metal rather than putting it in. "Carburize" is the older half of the pair. It derives from "carbon" with the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun into a verb meaning to treat something with or cause it to become that substance. Carburizing steel, which hardens it by soaking it in carbon at high heat, is the process the word first described. Decarburizing reverses that, and it is a practical concern in metalwork: too much carbon makes iron brittle, while too little leaves steel soft, so controlling the carbon content is central to producing a usable metal.

Synonyms: decarburates, removes carbon, purifies, refines, oxidizes

Antonyms: carburizes, carbonizes, enriches, adds carbon