vulcanize

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 15, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>vulcanize</strong> &#149; \VUL-kuh-nyze\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> to treat crude or synthetic rubber or similar plastic material with chemicals to give it useful properties (such as elasticity, strength, and stability)</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"In 1939 [Charles] Cornell invented a safer and more efficient way of patching holes in tires. Previously people put a piece of rubber on the tire and put heat on it as part of the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulcanization">vulcanization</a> process. Cornell discovered a way to use chemicals to <em>vulcanize</em> the patch to the tire without heat, revolutionizing the industry, [Mike] Murray said." — <a href="https://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/money/business/2017/03/18/qa-tech-international-president-mike-murray/98915900/">Maria DeVito, <em>The Newark (Ohio) Advocate</em>, 18 Mar. 2017</a></p> <p>"The station was known for the service it provided <em>vulcanizing</em> tires. This type of repair involves external tire damage, such as sidewall cuts, chipped lugs, cracks in the shoulder, and bead damage." — <a href="https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-durrett-transfer-lines-and-birmingham-nashville-express-were-built-by-a-hard-working-man">Scott Mall, <em>FreightWaves.com</em>, 20 Nov. 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Vulcanize</em> might sound like something Spock from <em>Star Trek</em> might do, but the explanation behind this word has more to do with ancient mythology than it does with science fiction. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulcanization">Vulcanization</a> in its simplest form consists of heating rubber with sulfur in order to improve the rubber's qualities. The Roman god Vulcan (whose G