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passivate

[pas-uh-veyt]
verb (used with object), pas·si·vat·ed, pas·si·vat·ing. Metallurgy.
  1. to treat (a metal) to render the surface less reactive chemically.

Origin of passivate

First recorded in 1910–15; passive + -ate1
Related formspas·si·va·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for passivate

passivate

verb
  1. (tr) to render (a metal) less susceptible to corrosion by coating the surface with a substance, such as an oxide
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