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neutralize

 [noo-truh-lahyz, nyoo-]   Origin

neu·tral·ize

   [noo-truh-lahyz, nyoo-] verb, -ized, -iz·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to make neutral; cause to undergo neutralization.
2.
to make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify: carelessness that neutralized our efforts.
3.
Military. to put out of action or make incapable of action: to neutralize an enemy position.
4.
to declare neutral; invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war: to neutralize a city to prevent bombing.
5.
to add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).
EXPAND
6.
Electricity. to render electrically or magnetically neutral.
COLLAPSE
verb (used without object)
7.
to become neutral or neutralized; undergo neutralization: With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.

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Also, especially British, neu·tral·ise.

Origin:
1655–65; neutral + -ize

Related forms
neu·tral·iz·er, noun
o·ver·neu·tral·ize, verb (used with object), -ized, -iz·ing.
o·ver·neu·tral·iz·er, noun
re·neu·tral·ize, verb, -ized, -iz·ing.
un·neu·tral·ize, verb (used with object), -ized, -iz·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To neutralize
Collins
World English Dictionary
neutralize or neutralise (ˈnjuːtrəˌlaɪz)
 
—vb
1.  (also intr) to render or become ineffective or neutral by counteracting, mixing, etc; nullify
2.  (also intr) to make or become electrically or chemically neutral
3.  to exclude (a country) from the sphere of warfare or alliances by international agreement: the great powers neutralized Belgium in the 19th century
4.  to render (an army) incapable of further military action
 
neutralise or neutralise
 
—vb
 
neutrali'zation or neutralise
 
—n
 
neutrali'sation or neutralise
 
—n
 
'neutralizer or neutralise
 
—n
 
'neutraliser or neutralise
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

neutralize
1759, "to render neutral" (in a chemical sense), from Fr. neutraliser, from neutral (see neutral). Meaning "to counterbalance, to kill by opposing" is from 1795.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
neutralize   (n'trə-līz')  Pronunciation Key 
To cause an acidic solution to become neutral by adding a base to it or to cause a basic solution to become neutral by adding an acid to it. Salt and water are usually formed in the process.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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