ionize

American  

[ahy-uh-nahyz] / ˈaɪ əˌnaɪz /

especially British, ionise

verb (used with object)

ionized, ionizing

1. to separate or change into ions.

2. to produce ions in.

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verb (used without object)

ionized, ionizing

1. to become changed into the form of ions, as by dissolving.

ionize British  

/ ˈaɪəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to change or become changed into ions

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ionize Scientific  

/ ī′ə-nīz′ /

1. To give an atom or group of atoms a net electric charge by adding or removing one or more electrons.

2. To form ions in a substance. Lightning ionizes air, for example.

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Other Word Forms

• ionizable adjective
• ionization noun
• ionizer noun
• nonionized adjective
• nonionizing adjective
• self-ionization noun
• unionized adjective
• ununionized adjective

Etymology

Origin of ionize

First recorded in 1895–1900; ion + -ize

Example Sentences

Closest to the core is hot, ionized gas, followed by cooler regions rich in molecular hydrogen.

From Science Daily

These sources include pulsars, planetary nebulae, compact HII regions -- which are dense, ionized gas clouds in space -- as well as distant galaxies that lie far beyond the Milky Way.

From Science Daily

The data show that the jet ionizes gas and pushes it away from the galaxy's center as it travels outward.

From Science Daily

Scientists from the University of Copenhagen have now identified what these objects are, uncovering extreme cosmic activity hidden inside dense clouds of ionized gas.

From Science Daily

This process creates what scientists call coronal line gas, a name borrowed from the sun's outer atmosphere to describe highly ionized, super-hot plasma.

From Science Daily