Cementation
/ˌsɛmənˈteɪʃən/noun
The process of hardening, binding, or coating with cement; in metallurgy, a process of altering a metal by heating it with another substance.
Did you know?In early metallurgy, cementation was a real transformation ritual-like process: iron or steel was heated for days with carbon-rich material so its surface could absorb new properties.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kem-
“to press together, cover, or protect”
Latin
Latin
caementum
“rough stone, chips of stone used in building”
Late Latin
Latin
caementāre
“to bind with mortar or make concrete”
Old French
Old French
ciment
“cement, mortar”
14th Century
English
cement
“mortar or binding material”
16th Century
English
cementation
“the act or process of cementing; later, a metallurgical hardening process”