Vulcanises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Treats raw rubber with sulfur and heat to enhance its elasticity and strength
2. Processes rubber by adding sulfur and applying heat to make it more durable and less sticky
3. Cures rubber through heating with sulfur to improve its toughness and elasticity

Etymology: Vulcanise is the British spelling of vulcanize, and "vulcanises" is simply the third-person singular present form of the verb. The verb is named after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking, whose name gives the process its mythological flavour: heat is the essential ingredient, and the god of the forge stands in for it. The process was developed by Charles Goodyear, the American inventor who spent years trying to make natural rubber usable. Raw rubber turned sticky when warm and brittle when cold. Goodyear found that heating it with sulfur fixed its structure, producing a material that stayed elastic across a wide range of temperatures. The name was attached to this heating process, and the verb followed from it.

Synonyms: cures, hardens, treats, processes, stiffens

Antonyms: softens, weakens, dissolves, melts, destroys