embrittle

American  

[em-brit-l] / ɛmˈbrɪt l /

verb (used with or without object)

embrittled, embrittling

1. to make or become brittle.

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Etymology

Origin of embrittle

First recorded in 1900–05; em- ¹ + brittle

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

embrittle embrittled

It's cold enough to embrittle and shatter most materials.

From Slate ● May 26, 2012

Lately, I have had several household items made of plastic that have broken due to their being embrittled, most likely by the corrosive atmosphere that engulfs us these days.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2022

For instance, the vessel that holds the reactor fuel—and which becomes embrittled over time—that poses a risk in certain types of accidents, so you do have to factor it in.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 4, 2022

The 1,000 scanned volumes provided an array of image-capture challenges that are common to nineteenth-century printing techniques and embrittled material, and that defy the use of text-conversion processes.

From Library of Congress Workshop on Etexts by Library of Congress