vulcanize

[ vuhl-kuh-nahyz ]

/ ˈvʌl kəˌnaɪz /

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verb (used with object), vul·can·ized, vul·can·iz·ing.

to treat (rubber) with sulfur and heat, thereby imparting strength, greater elasticity, durability, etc.

to subject (a substance other than rubber) to some analogous process, as to harden it.

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Also especially British, vul·can·ise .

Origin of vulcanize

First recorded in 1820–30; Vulcan + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM vulcanize

vul·can·iz·a·ble, adjectivevul·can·i·za·tion, nounvul·can·iz·er, nounnon·vul·can·ized, adjective

self-vul·can·iz·ing, adjectivesem·i·vul·can·ized, adjectiveun·vul·can·ized, adjective

Words nearby vulcanize

Vulcanian, vulcanism, vulcanite, vulcanizate, vulcanization, vulcanize, vulcanized fiber, vulcanology, vulg., vulgar, vulgar fraction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vulcanize in a sentence

It was already known how to vulcanize rubber, and how to galvanize iron.
Edison, His Life and Inventions|Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin
Cost me thirteen dollars to repair one; vulcanize the tire, y'see.
The Bacillus of Beauty|Harriet Stark

British Dictionary definitions for vulcanize

vulcanize

vulcanise

/ (ˈvʌlkəˌnaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to treat (rubber) with sulphur or sulphur compounds under heat and pressure to improve elasticity and strength or to produce a hard substance such as vulcanite

to treat (substances other than rubber) by a similar process in order to improve their properties

Derived forms of vulcanize

vulcanizable or vulcanisable, adjectivevulcanization or vulcanisation, nounvulcanizer or vulcaniser, noun

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

Scientific definitions for vulcanize

vulcanize

[ vŭl′kə-nīz′ ]

To harden rubber by combining it with sulfur or other substances in the presence of heat and pressure. Vulcanization gives rubber strength, resistance, and elasticity.