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

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

But on March 10, with supplies dwindling, the C.D.C. announced that less protective surgical masks were “an acceptable alternative” except during procedures that might aerosolize the virus.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2020