Hydrogenises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Chemically combines a substance with hydrogen, often by adding hydrogen atoms to unsaturated molecules such as oils
2. Causes a compound to take up hydrogen atoms through a reaction, commonly used to harden liquid fats
3. Adds hydrogen to a material or molecule so that its chemical structure becomes saturated

Etymology: "Hydrogenises" is the third-person singular form of "hydrogenise", a verb meaning to combine or treat something with hydrogen. The verb is built from "hydrogen" plus the suffix "-ise", which comes from the Late Latin "-izare" through Old French and Middle English. That suffix was used to turn nouns into verbs meaning "to make into, treat with, or cause to be," so "hydrogenise" follows the same pattern as words like "sterilise" or "crystallise." The noun "hydrogen" itself is a French coinage, "hydrogène," formed from the Greek "hydro-" meaning "water" and "-gène," meaning "producing" or "generating." The name reflects the gas's role in forming water when burned, a fact that was established by chemists in the late eighteenth century. English borrowed the term as "hydrogen" in the same period, so the verb arrived in English only after the element had been named.

Synonyms: hydrogenate

Antonyms: dehydrogenate