Puddling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act entails the refinement of iron by mixing it with a fuel source, repeatedly heating and stirring to purify the metal and enhance its properties
2. It refers to a metallurgical method where iron is repeatedly heated and mixed to remove impurities and improve its malleability and strength
3. This process involves the purification of iron through repetitive heating and stirring with a combustible material to enhance its quality and characteristics

Etymology: "Puddling" is the present participle of "puddle," and in ironmaking it names the process of stirring molten pig iron on a furnace hearth until its carbon burns away. The name fits the process: the metal is worked into a thick, muddy mass. "Puddle" began as a small ditch or muddy pool. It comes from Middle English "podel," a diminutive of Old English "pudd," meaning ditch, and ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root that is imitative in origin, probably echoing the sound of splashing in mud.

Synonyms: muddying, splashing