galvanise

Everyday

1. To galvanise people means to shock or excite them into acting quickly. tree →
2. To galvanise iron or steel means to coat it with zinc so that it does not rust. tree →
3. (science, old) To galvanise once meant to give something an electric shock, from the scientist Luigi Galvani. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, galvanising is a way to stop rusting: a zinc layer protects the iron underneath, as on buckets, fences and nails. In stories and news, a speech or event that galvanises people makes them suddenly work together. Phrases: galvanise into action, galvanised steel, galvanised bucket.

Examples

• The fence posts are made of galvanised steel so they will not rust. tree →
• Galvanising coats iron with a layer of zinc. tree →
• The captain's speech galvanised the team. tree →
• The flood galvanised the whole town into action. tree →
• We tested whether a galvanised nail rusts in salty water. tree →
• The coach hoped to galvanise the players at half-time. tree →
• The farmer filled a galvanised bucket with water. tree →

Note

UK and Australian spelling: galvanise; US and Canadian spelling: galvanize. Past: galvanised. It comes from the name Galvani, an Italian scientist. Galvanised metal is not rust-proof forever; the zinc slowly wears away.