Iodinized

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Treated with iodine or containing iodine, especially as a deliberate addition to a substance such as salt or a medical preparation
2. Having been mixed or enriched with the chemical element iodine, often to supply a nutrient or to act as a disinfectant
3. Describing something that has been infused or combined with iodine to improve its nutritional value or antiseptic properties

Etymology: Iodine gets its name from a colour. When Bernard Courtois isolated the element from seaweed ash, its vapour rose as a striking violet, and the chemist Gay-Lussac named it from the Greek "iōdēs," meaning violet-coloured. The name is a reminder that the element was identified by sight before anyone understood what it was. "Iodinize" adds the suffix "-ize" to "iodine," following the pattern of verbs such as "sterilize" or "crystallize." That suffix comes from Greek "-izein" through Latin "-izare," and it turns a noun into a verb meaning to treat with or combine with that substance. Adding "-ed" makes the form an adjective for something that has been treated with iodine, as in iodinized salt.

Synonyms: iodized