Electrocoat

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. A method that uses electrical current to apply a protective or decorative coating to a metal surface
2. A process involving electrochemical deposition to evenly coat metal objects with paint or primer
3. Technique that applies a uniform coating to metals through electrical immersion in a coating solution

Etymology: Electrocoat is a technical coinage built from two plain parts: "electro-", a combining form from "electricity" that signals the use of electrical current, and "coat", meaning a layer spread over a surface. Put together, the word names a process in which an electric current drives a coating material onto a metal part, most often in industrial finishing, where car bodies and appliances are dipped in a paint bath and charged so the paint deposits evenly across the surface. The "electro-" element is the one doing the work. It appears in older scientific terms such as "electroplate" and "electrolysis," and it was attached to existing English words whenever a process depended on electricity. "Electrocoat" follows that same pattern, so the word reads almost like a description of its own method. The verb and noun share this sense, describing either the act of applying the coating or the finish that results.

Synonyms: electrodeposit, electroplate, electrophoretic coat, electrolytic coat