Medicine/Medical. to stimulate or treat (muscles or nerves) with induced direct current (distinguished from faradize).
to startle into sudden activity; stimulate.
to coat (metal, especially iron or steel) with zinc.
Also especially British, gal·va·nise.
Origin of galvanize
1795–1805; < Frenchgalvaniser, named after Luigi Galvani; see -ize
Related formsgal·va·ni·za·tion, noungal·va·niz·er, nounnon·gal·va·nized, adjectivepre·gal·va·nize, verb (used with object),pre·gal·va·nized,pre·gal·va·niz·ing.re·gal·va·ni·za·tion, nounre·gal·va·nize, verb (used with object),re·gal·va·nized,re·gal·va·niz·ing.un·gal·va·nized, adjective
1802, from French galvaniser, from galvanisme (see galvanism). Figurative sense of "excite, stimulate (as if by electricity)" first recorded 1853. Meaning "to coat with metal by means of galvanic electricity" (especially to plate iron with tin, but now typically to plate it with zinc) is from 1839.
He'll swear that in her dancing she cuts all others out, Though like a Gal that's galvanized, she throws her legs about. [Thomas Hood, "Love has not Eyes," 1845]
