sensitize
[ sen-si-tahyz ]
/ ˈsɛn sɪˌtaɪz /
verb (used with object), sen·si·tized, sen·si·tiz·ing.
to render sensitive.
Photography. to render (a film or the like) sensitive to light or other forms of radiant energy.
Immunology. to render sensitive to an antigenic substance.
verb (used without object), sen·si·tized, sen·si·tiz·ing.
to become sensitized.
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What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTAlso especially British, sen·si·tise .
Origin of sensitize
First recorded in 1855–60; sensit(ive) + -ize
OTHER WORDS FROM sensitize
Words nearby sensitize
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for sensitize
Use unglazed writing-paper, and sensitize a strip at the top a little larger than the picture to be printed on it.
To sensitize the plates I employ a bath of bichromate of potash of six per cent, and again dry them.
To sensitize, immerse the silk in a 20 grain solution of silver nitrate for about sixteen minutes.
Photographic Amusements, Ninth Edition|Walter E. Woodbury and Frank R. Fraprie
British Dictionary definitions for sensitize
sensitize
sensitise
/ (ˈsɛnsɪˌtaɪz) /
verb
to make or become sensitive
(tr) to render (an individual) sensitive to a drug, allergen, etc
(tr) photog to make (a material) sensitive to light or to other actinic radiation, esp to light of a particular colour, by coating it with a photographic emulsion often containing special chemicals, such as dyes
Derived forms of sensitize
sensitization or sensitisation, nounsensitizer or sensitiser, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for sensitize
sensitize
[ sĕn′sĭ-tīz′ ]
v.
To make hypersensitive or reactive to an antigen, such as pollen, especially by repeated exposure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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