aerosolize

American  

[air-uh-saw-lahyz, -so-] / ˈɛər ə sɔˌlaɪz, -sɒ- /

especially British, aerosolise

verb (used with object)

aerosolized, aerosolizing

1. to disperse or discharge as an aerosol.

   a liquid that is too thick to aerosolize;

   techniques that aerosolize the fuel prior to combustion.

2. Physiology, Pathology. to release (the droplets, or fine particles, within one’s respiratory system) into the air as part of the process of talking, breathing, whistling, coughing, sneezing, etc..

   Even when you sing, you’re aerosolizing particles from your respiratory tract.

   With every cough and sneeze, the infected person profusely aerosolizes viral pathogens.

3. to contain or pack in aerosol form.

   Now I’ve heard everything—they’ve aerosolized coffee that I can just spray into my cream.

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Other Word Forms

• aerosolization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of aerosolize

First recorded in 1940–45; aerosol + -ize

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aerosolize aerosolized aerosolizing

In the “dairy parlors” that commercial farms use to milk cows, floors are often cleaned using high-pressure water sprayers, which could aerosolize the virus, he notes.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 1, 2024

A few days later the two men attended an Earth Day event in San Francisco, where they helped children launch their own small balloons, coated with chalk dust, which could aerosolize.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 20, 2023

In their study, published in the journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology, the researchers found a way to successfully aerosolize the particles so they could see what happened to them when inhaled.

From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2023

“You might already be infectious, and that’s potentially because the virus now is just so able to potentially aerosolize and get out of people at lower amounts.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2022

The C.D.C. advises emergency workers to “exercise caution” with treatments that may aerosolize the virus: manual resuscitators, used to “bag” the patient; nebulizers; intubation; and CPR.

From New York Times ● May 10, 2020

As the Salton Sea has become a fertilized petri dish, the prevailing winds have pushed aerosolized bacteria south to communities in the Imperial Valley where people have complained of respiratory issues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2024

But the main flavor component flavor of wok hei, López-Alt says, comes from the igniting of aerosolized oil with fire.

From Salon ● May 15, 2024

The flu virus could become aerosolized when milking parlors are cleaned with high-pressure hoses.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 25, 2024

“A teeny bit is going on the body, and most of its going in the air. It’s the same with spraying an aerosolized cleaner.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

She lifts the mask off her face and a white puff of aerosolized medicine dissipates in front of her.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Placing a breathing tube into someone’s trachea before putting them on a ventilator is considered an aerosolizing procedure, that is certain.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2020

But scientists and physicians quibble about everything else that could be an aerosolizing procedure: nebulizer treatments for asthma, chest tubes inserted for collapsed lungs, suctioning, CPR.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2020

But those rules didn’t mandate N95s – known to block viruses – for workers who, like Cain, were providing care but weren’t performing aerosolizing treatments, which can release virus particles into the air.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 30, 2020

In an enclosed doctor’s office, she and her partner gave the man a nebulizer, which creates a mist infused with medication and is suspected of aerosolizing the virus.

From New York Times ● May 10, 2020

The procedure is risky in that it can cause patients to cough, aerosolizing the virus as physicians hover overhead.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 26, 2020