vulcanize

[ vuhl-kuh-nahyz ]

verb (used with object),vul·can·ized, vul·can·iz·ing.
  1. to treat (rubber) with sulfur and heat, thereby imparting strength, greater elasticity, durability, etc.

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

Origin of vulcanize

1
First recorded in 1820–30; Vulcan + -ize
  • Also especially British, vul·can·ise .

Other words from vulcanize

  • vul·can·iz·a·ble, adjective
  • vul·can·i·za·tion, noun
  • vul·can·iz·er, noun
  • non·vul·can·ized, adjective
  • self-vul·can·iz·ing, adjective
  • sem·i·vul·can·ized, adjective
  • un·vul·can·ized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use vulcanize in a sentence

  • Red vulcanised fibre, like wood, absorbs paraffin, but it cannot be entirely waterproofed in this way.

    On Laboratory Arts | Richard Threlfall
  • The circular bandages of vulcanised india-rubber with a pad in the centre are nowise to be recommended.

  • Vulcanised india-rubber becomes rotten after short use, and gutta-percha will stand no extremes of temperature.

    The Art of Travel | Francis Galton
  • In the third class, vegetable parchment and vulcanised board are the most familiar.

    The Manufacture of Paper | Robert Walter Sindall
  • The product obtained when this reagent is used is generally termed vulcanised fibre.

    The Manufacture of Paper | Robert Walter Sindall

British Dictionary definitions for vulcanize

vulcanize

vulcanise

/ (ˈvʌlkəˌnaɪz) /


verb(tr)
  1. 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

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

Derived forms of vulcanize

  • vulcanizable or vulcanisable, adjective
  • vulcanization or vulcanisation, noun
  • vulcanizer 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

[ vŭlkə-nīz′ ]


  1. 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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.