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Showing results for mercerize. Search instead for Mercerized.

mercerize

American  
[mur-suh-rahyz] / ˈmɜr səˌraɪz /
especially British, mercerise

verb (used with object)

mercerized, mercerizing
  1. to treat (cotton yarns or fabric) with caustic alkali under tension, in order to increase strength, luster, and affinity for dye.


mercerize British  
/ ˈmɜːsəˌraɪz /

verb

  1. (tr) to treat (cotton yarn) with an alkali to increase its strength and reception to dye and impart a lustrous silky appearance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of mercerize

1855–60; named after John Mercer (1791–1866), English calico printer, the patentee (1850) of the process; see -ize


Vocabulary lists containing mercerize

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Sock Candy’s line of cotton socks offers bold prints for the maximalist who wants to make a statement while mercerized cotton keeps things super soft and cozy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

Some of the samples resembled wool or flannel, others mercerized cotton.

From Time Magazine Archive

The most beautiful is to embroider in silk or mercerized cotton.

From Woodland Tales by Ernest Thompson Seton

Another step was taken when Cross of London discovered that when the mercerized cotton was treated with carbon disulfide it was dissolved to a yellow liquid.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Edwin E. Slosson

Wire comes in black, white, silver, and gilt, and is covered with cotton, mercerized cotton, and silk.

From Make Your Own Hats by Gene Allen Martin

Converting and finishing, including bleaching, mercerizing, dying, printing, and finishing.

From The Fabric of Civilization A Short Survey of the Cotton Industry in the United States by Guaranty Trust Company of New York

The mercerizing does not diminish the strength of the material, and gives to it a greater affinity for dye stuffs.

From The Fabric of Civilization A Short Survey of the Cotton Industry in the United States by Guaranty Trust Company of New York

Mercerized cloths are of many kinds, as the mercerizing process can be applied to almost anything.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 5 "Cosway" to "Coucy" by Various

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