carbonize

[ kahr-buh-nahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, car·bon·ized, car·bon·iz·ing.

1. to char (organic matter) until it forms carbon.
2. to coat or enrich with carbon.

verb (used without object)

, car·bon·ized, car·bon·iz·ing.

1. to become carbonized.

carbonize

/ ˈkɑːbəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to turn or be turned into carbon as a result of heating, fossilization, chemical treatment, etc
2. tr to enrich or coat (a substance) with carbon
3. intr to react or unite with carbon

Derived Forms

• ˌcarboniˈzation, noun
• ˈcarbonˌizer, noun

Other Words From

• carbon·iza·ble adjective
• carbon·izer noun
• un·carbon·ized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of carbonize¹

First recorded in 1800–10; carbon + -ize

Example Sentences

"The peculiar preservation of Tridentinosaurus had puzzled experts for decades. Now, it all makes sense. What it was described as carbonized skin, is just paint."

From Science Daily

Sophisticated testing takes place at the national forensics lab in Tel Aviv, where pathologists discovered that a blackened, carbonized lump of remains was that of a woman, clutching a child to her chest.

From Los Angeles Times

“When you see black, that means it is charred, burned; it’s carbonized, and we have a big problem,” he says.

From Scientific American

Edison’s first practical light bulb used a carbonized cotton thread for that purpose; modern bulbs use tungsten filaments in an inert gas.

From Seattle Times

The remains of carbonized plants show they gathered pulses and pine nuts.

From Salon

Related Words

• burn