galvanize means to coat with a layer of metal by electrochemical means. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
galvanize is pronounced /ˈɡælvənaɪ̯z/.
Why “galvanize” is a great word
GALVANIZE — [Verb] To shock or stimulate into sudden, vigorous activity, as if by an electric shock; also, to coat iron or steel with a protective layer of zinc. From French *galvaniser*, from *galvanisme* ("galvanism"), named after Italian physiologist Luigi Galvani (1737–1798). By surface analysis, *galvano-* (pertaining to electricity) + *-ize* (to make or treat). First attested c. 1801 in the sense 'to stimulate by galvanic electricity.' Unlike "motivate," which suggests a sustained, internal drive, or "encourage," which implies gentle persuasion, to galvanize is to administer a decisive, external jolt that overcomes deep inertia. It is the crackling speech that rouses a passive crowd to its feet, the stark photograph that shifts public opinion overnight, or the silent electrochemical baptism of raw steel in a zinc bath, emerging with a dull, grey armor against decay—a word for the precise moment potential energy is shocked into kinetic life.
verb
- To coat with a layer of metal by electrochemical means.
- To coat with a layer of metal by electrochemical means.; To coat with a layer of zinc (for rust resistance) by electrochemical means.“We then galvanize the steel so that the zinc coating will sacrificially take the corrosion for many years.”
- To shock or stimulate into sudden activity, as if by electric shock.“The girl’s picture helped galvanize public opinion against the administration’s policy.”
- To electrify, as by galvanism.“The agitations resembled the grinnings and writhings of a galvanized corpse, not the struggles of an athletic man.”
- To switch sides between Union and Confederate in the American Civil War.“Reenactors called this “galvanizing,” the Civil War term for soldiers who switched sides during the conflict.”