carburize

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈkɑrbjəˌraɪz/ UK /ˈkɑːbjʊraɪz/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to harden the surface of iron or steel by adding carbon

The gears were carburized to resist wear.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to harden the surface of... carbonizecaseharden

Opposites

decarburize

Word family

Derived forms carburization

Related forms carboncarburet

Etymology

From carbon (via carburet) + -ize. Carbon is from French carbone, from Latin carbō ('coal, charcoal').

carbō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# carburize

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɑrbjəˌraɪz/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkɑːbjʊraɪz/

## Meanings
1. to harden the surface of iron or steel by adding carbon

## Examples
- The gears were carburized to resist wear.

## Synonyms
- carbonize
- caseharden

## Antonyms
- decarburize

## Derived Forms
- carburization

## Related Forms
- carbon
- carburet

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: carbō

## Etymology
From carbon (via carburet) + -ize. Carbon is from French carbone, from Latin carbō ('coal, charcoal').

## AI Etymology
Carburize comes from carbon (via carburet) + -ize. Carbon is from French carbone, from Latin carbō ('coal, charcoal'). The historical trail runs through carbō in Latin. Morphologically, carburize is transparent: it draws on carbon (via carburet) + -ize. Used as a verb, carburize now means "harden the surface of iron or steel by adding carbon", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as carburization and related forms such as carbon and carburet. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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