galvanize
verb /ˈɡælvənaɪz/
/ˈɡælvənaɪz/
(British English also galvanise)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they galvanize | /ˈɡælvənaɪz/ /ˈɡælvənaɪz/ |
he / she / it galvanizes | /ˈɡælvənaɪzɪz/ /ˈɡælvənaɪzɪz/ |
past simple galvanized | /ˈɡælvənaɪzd/ /ˈɡælvənaɪzd/ |
past participle galvanized | /ˈɡælvənaɪzd/ /ˈɡælvənaɪzd/ |
-ing form galvanizing | /ˈɡælvənaɪzɪŋ/ /ˈɡælvənaɪzɪŋ/ |
- to make somebody take action by shocking them or by making them excited
- The win galvanized the whole team.
- galvanize somebody into (doing) something The urgency of his voice galvanized them into action.
- galvanize somebody to do something We need new approaches that will galvanize the industry to deal with its problems.
- galvanize something (specialist) to cover metal with zinc in order to protect it from rust
- a galvanized bucket
- galvanized steel
Word Originearly 19th cent. (in the sense ‘stimulate by electricity’): from French galvaniser, named after Luigi Galvani (1737-98), the Italian anatomist.