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Glite Dictionary
to air-slake

to air-slake

9.9
To leave lime in the air so it changes into a powder
  • verb
  • Archaic
: calcinación al aire
  • The lime will air-slake after being exposed to moisture.

Examples

  • If you air-slake quicklime, it turns into a powdery substance.

  • The process to air-slake lime must be carefully controlled to avoid excessive reaction.

  • Chemists often air-slake samples before further testing them.

  • To improve quality, we need to air-slake the lime properly.

  • To create a strong mortar, you should air-slake the lime before mixing it with sand and water.

  • The quicklime must air-slake in the open air to transform into a more stable form.

  • After the field test, the team decided to air-slake the lime samples to analyze their properties.

Surface Forms

air-slake infinitive
air-slaked past
air-slaked past participle
air-slaking present participle
air-slakes third person singular

Morphology

air-slake = air + slake (transparent) = air + slake

The verb is a straightforward compound of 'air' + 'slake' meaning 'to slake by exposure to air'; the composition is predictable though used in technical contexts.

Etymology

Air-slake joins air and slake, and slake means 'to make less strong' or 'to quench'. So to air-slake something is to let the air 'work on' it and change it, which is why quicklime left in the open air slowly breaks down into a powdery form.