Toxicize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Poisoning or harmful to living organisms through chemical action
2. making something dangerous or harmful in nature or effect
3. introducing toxicity or noxious characteristics to an environment or substance

Etymology: "Toxicize" is formed from "toxic" plus the verb-making suffix "-ize," and it is a fairly modern formation. "Toxic" comes from Late Latin "toxicus," meaning "poisoned" or "of poison," which in turn derives from Latin "toxicum" (poison), borrowed from Greek "toxikon," short for "toxikon pharmakon," literally "poison for arrows." The Greeks dipped their arrowheads in such poisons, so the word's first sense is tied to the archery trade rather than to poisoning in general. The suffix "-ize" comes from Greek "-izein" through Latin "-izare," and in English it has long been used to turn a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make into" or "to treat with." "Toxicize" follows that pattern directly: to toxicize is to make something toxic. It is built from parts whose meanings are transparent, so there is no single story attached to its coinage, and its use is mostly in technical, scientific, and environmental writing.

Synonyms: poison, contaminate, pollute, infect, toxify

Antonyms: detoxify, cleanse, purify, sanitize, decontaminate