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to bacterize

to bacterize

1 9.9
To add bacteria to something to make it change
  • verb
  • /bækˈtɛraɪz/
  • Specialized
: bacterizar
  • The laboratory aimed to bacterize the nutrient solution to promote fermentation.

Examples

  • To improve soil fertility, farmers sometimes bacterize compost before spreading it on the fields.

  • The scientist will bacterize the samples next week.

  • Cheese can be bacterized intentionally to develop specific flavors during production.

  • They bacterized the soil to improve its fertility.

  • The scientists decided to bacterize the soil samples to promote faster decomposition.

  • By choosing to bacterize the waste material, the researchers aimed to improve biodegradation.

  • In order to enhance the fermentation process, they needed to bacterize the mixture regularly.

Surface Forms

bacterize infinitive
bacterized past
bacterized past participle
bacterizing present participle
bacterizes third person singular

Morphology

bacterize = bacteria (transparent) = bacteri + ize

Formed by the productive verb-forming suffix '-ize' attached to the bacterial stem, yielding 'to subject to or treat with bacteria' in a directly derivable way.

Etymology

Bacterize comes from bacteria, a word that originally meant 'little rod' or 'small stick' in Greek, plus the ending -ize meaning 'to make' or 'to use'. So to bacterize something is to treat it with bacteria, which is exactly its modern meaning.