galvanize
verb
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Luigi Galvani was an Italian physician and physicist who, in the 1770s, studied the electrical nature of nerve impulses by applying electrical stimulation to frogs’ leg muscles, causing them to contract. Although Galvani’s theory that animal tissue contained an innate electrical impulse was disproven, the French word galvanisme came to refer to a current of electricity especially when produced by chemical action, while the verb galvaniser was used for the action of applying such a current (both words were apparently coined by German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who modeled them after the French equivalents of magnetism and magnetize). In English, these words came to life as galvanism and galvanize, respectively. Today their primary senses are figurative: to galvanize a person or group is to spur them into action as if they’ve been jolted with electricity.
Synonyms
Examples of galvanize in a Sentence
Edward Wong, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
Here's How to Watch Brandie Smith, the National Zoo's director, shared that the Giant Panda Cam educates and galvanizes others to help with panda conservation efforts, especially those who can't make the trip to Washington, D.C., to meet the pandas face- to-face.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025
The injustice galvanized Japanese Americans to vote and undertake civic participation — while also splitting them politically.
—Jane Hong / Made By History, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025
With decades of business and clinical leadership, his relentlessness and propensity for disruption have galvanized Vituity in its mission to improve as many lives as humanly possible.
—Forbes Press Releases, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Galvanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galvanize. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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galvanize
verb
Medical Definition
galvanize
transitive verb
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