Iodises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To combine or treat with iodine or a compound containing iodine; to impregnate with iodine for sterilization or chemical reaction purposes; to infuse with iodine to impart color or antiseptic properties
2. To cause to contain iodine by chemical process or application; to saturate or cover with iodine for preservation or diagnostic use; to introduce iodine atoms into a substance as part of a reaction or treatment
3. To incorporate iodine into a material or substance through chemical bonding; to apply iodine onto or into something for antimicrobial or tinting effect; to modify chemically by adding iodine compounds for various industrial or medical uses

Etymology: Iodine is named for a colour. When the French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac gave the element its name, he drew on the Greek "iōdēs", meaning violet-coloured, because its vapour turns a striking violet when heated. Bernard Courtois had first isolated the substance from the ash of seaweed, a source of the alkali used in making gunpowder. "Iodise" is simply that element turned into a verb by the suffix "-ise", which comes through French from the Greek "-izein" and means to treat or make into something. To iodise a thing is to treat it with iodine. British spelling prefers "-ise", while American usage typically writes "iodize".

Synonyms: iodinates, treats with iodine