Meanings
verbmercerize (third-person singular simple present mercerizes, present participle mercerizing, simple past and past participle mercerized)
present singular third person mercerizes · participle present mercerizing · participle past mercerized · past mercerized · alternative mercerise
- transitiveTo treat (cotton fabric) with sodium hydroxide to make it more lustrous and accepting of dyes.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From Mercer + -ize, named after John Mercer of Great Harwood, Lancashire, who invented the process in the mid-19th century.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan merceritzar
- merceritzarto treat cotton with NaOH
Finnish merseroida
- merseroidato treat cotton with NaOH
German merzerisieren
- merzerisierento treat cotton with NaOH
Italian mercerizzare
- mercerizzareto treat cotton with NaOH
Romanian merceriza
- mercerizato treat cotton with NaOH
Spanish mercerizar
- mercerizarto treat cotton with NaOH
Cite this entry
APA
mercerize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercerize
MLA
“mercerize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercerize. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mercerize,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercerize.
Source: mercerize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.