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polarize

 - 5 dictionary results

po⋅lar⋅ize

  [poh-luh-rahyz] verb, -ized, -iz⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to cause polarization in.
2. to divide into sharply opposing factions, political groups, etc.: The controversy has polarized voters into proabortion and antiabortion groups.
3. to give polarity to.
–verb (used without object)
4. to become polarized.
Use polarize in a Sentence
Also, especially British, po⋅lar⋅ise.

Origin:
1805–15; polar + -ize

Related forms:
po⋅lar⋅iz⋅a⋅ble, adjective
po⋅lar⋅iz⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To polarize
po·lar·ize   (pō'lə-rīz')   
v.   po·lar·ized, po·lar·iz·ing, po·lar·iz·es

v.   tr.

  1. To induce polarization in; impart polarity to.

  2. To cause to concentrate about two conflicting or contrasting positions.

v.   intr.

  1. To acquire polarity.

  2. To cause polarization of light.

po'lar·iz'a·ble adj., po'lar·iz'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

polarize 
1811, from Fr. polariser, coined by Fr. physicist Étienne-Louis Malus (1775-1812) as a term in optics. Transf. sense of "to accentuate a division in a group or system" is first recorded 1949 in Arthur Koestler.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: po·lar·ize
Variant: also British po·lar·ise /'pO-l&-"rIz/
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -ized also British -ised; -iz·ing also British -is·ing
transitive senses
1 : to cause (as light waves) to vibrate in adefinite pattern
2 : to give physical polarity to polarize intransitive senses
: to become polarized
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
polarize   (pō'lə-rīz')  Pronunciation Key 

  1. To separate or accumulate positive and negative electric charges in two distinct regions. Polarized objects have an electric dipole moment and will undergo torque when placed in an external electric field.

  2. To magnetize a substance so that it has the properties of a magnetic dipole, such as having a north and south pole.

  3. To cause the electrical and magnetic fields associated with electromagnetic waves, especially light, to vibrate in a particular direction or path. The transverse electric and magnetic waves always vibrate at right angles to each other, but in ordinary unpolarized light sources, the direction of polarization of each wave is randomly distributed. Light can be polarized by reflection, and by passing through certain materials. See more at polarization.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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