Vulcanizers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or machine that repairs or treats rubber products by applying heat and pressure to fuse materials together
2. an individual skilled in the process of restoring and augmenting rubber tires for vehicles
3. a device utilized in the vulcanization process that enhances the durability and elasticity of rubber articles through chemical changes

Etymology: Vulcanizers are named after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking, whose name came into English through Latin and Old English. The verb "vulcanize" was formed from Vulcan, and the Greek-derived suffix "-ize" (from Ancient Greek "-izein," passed through Late Latin and Middle French) was attached to it, turning the god's name into a verb meaning to treat with heat. The process it names is the one Charles Goodyear developed for rubber. Raw rubber becomes sticky in heat and brittle in cold, and heating it with sulfur, under pressure, makes it stable and elastic. The fire god was a fitting namesake for a technique that depends on heat. The noun "vulcanizer" is simply the verb plus the suffix "-er," meaning one who performs the action. It is the plural of that noun here: several people or machines doing the same job.