pelletize

American  

[pel-i-tahyz] / ˈpɛl ɪˌtaɪz /

especially British, pelletise

verb (used with object)

pelletized, pelletizing

1. to make or form (concentrated ore) into pellets.

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verb (used without object)

pelletized, pelletizing

1. to make or manufacture pellets.

Other Word Forms

• pelletization noun
• pelletizer noun

Etymology

Origin of pelletize

First recorded in 1940–45; pellet + -ize

Explanation

To pelletize is to compress something into small nuggets. Companies that make food for rabbits and guinea pigs pelletize raw ingredients to produce feed that's an appropriate size for them to nibble on. The technology of pelletizing is mostly used in factories and plants, to produce things on a large scale. Anything that needs to be squeezed together and formed into pellets, or small rounded pieces, gets pelletized. Businesses that make fuel for certain stoves pelletize wood scraps and pack the resulting pellets into bags. And drug companies pelletize medicine into tablets that can be swallowed or chewed. Pelletize comes from pellet, "little ball."

Example Sentences

The miner’s plan includes using biofuels to pelletize iron ore instead of coal, electrifying its mines and railroads, increasing energy efficiency and using more renewable energy, Bartolomeo said in an interview.

From Reuters • May 12, 2020

They make wastepaper pellets from materials that cannot be recycled…They shred and compress and pelletize it. 

From Forbes • Jun. 18, 2014