Sulfurize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A chemical process to transform a substance, especially an inorganic compound, into a sulfur-containing form
2. The act of introducing sulfur into another substance or chemical system
3. To react with sulfur or a sulfur-containing compound to alter the chemical structure of a material

Etymology: Sulfurize is a plain chemical coinage: English took the noun "sulfur" and added the verb-forming suffix "-ize," so the word means, in effect, "to treat with sulfur." The suffix has a longer pedigree than the word it attaches to. It descends from ancient Greek verbs ending in "-izein," passed into Late Latin as "-izare," then entered Middle French as "-iser" and Middle English as "-isen," before settling into modern English as "-ize." Its usefulness in technical vocabulary is why English speakers can coin new verbs such as this one almost on demand. The noun it builds on has a longer, more tangled history. "Sulfur" arrived in English through Anglo-Norman "sulfre," which came from Latin "sulfur" and "sulphur," and it sits on an Indo-European base that also gave words for fire and burning. That connection to combustion explains why sulfur was so prized in early chemistry and alchemy, where it was regarded as a principle of flammability.

Synonyms: sulfonate