acidify

[ uh-sid-uh-fahy ]

verb (used with or without object)

, a·cid·i·fied, a·cid·i·fy·ing.

1. to make or become acid; convert into an acid.
2. to make or become sour.

acidify

/ əˈsɪdɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. to convert into or become acid

Derived Forms

• aˈcidiˌfier, noun
• aˌcidifiˈcation, noun
• aˈcidiˌfiable, adjective

Other Words From

• a·cidi·fia·ble adjective
• a·cidi·fi·cation noun
• a·cidi·fier noun
• rea·cidi·fi·cation noun
• rea·cidi·fy verb reacidified reacidifying
• semi·a·cidi·fied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acidify¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; acid + -ify

Example Sentences

The sea also absorbs carbon dioxide, acidifying the water, which breaks down essential minerals that organisms need to grow their shells and skeletons.

From Los Angeles Times

Sulfides also acidify the water, which can accelerate weathering.

From Science Daily

In the face of warming, acidifying oceans, coral skeletons are at risk of dissolving.

From Science Daily

For example, the U.S. regulated industrial sulfur and nitrogen dioxide emissions in 1990, but only after we had determined that they caused acid rain and acidified many water bodies in the Northeast.

From Science Daily

Marine heat waves, acidifying oceans and other climate impacts are “significantly altering U.S. marine ecosystems at a pace, magnitude and extent that is unprecedented over millennia,” the report says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• embitter
• exacerbate
• spoil