Acidulate
verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To make slightly or moderately acid; to acidify. transitive
- 2 make sour or more sour wordnet
- 3 To make sour in a moderate degree; to sour somewhat. transitive
"Twenty leeches were ordered to be applied round the nose every two days; frequent emollient fomentations; the local vapour bath; general bathing; stimulating pedilavia; a strict regimen; vegetables, milk, white meats; demulcent or acidulated drinks; avoidance of exposure to the sun or to cold air; flannel waistcoat and trousers. This treatment, being strictly observed for two months, caused all the inflammatory symptoms to disappear, […]"
- 4 To use an acidic catalyst, with the chemical change being emphasised over the importance of the change in pH. Used in the processing of biodiesel co-products. transitive
Example
More examples"Twenty leeches were ordered to be applied round the nose every two days; frequent emollient fomentations; the local vapour bath; general bathing; stimulating pedilavia; a strict regimen; vegetables, milk, white meats; demulcent or acidulated drinks; avoidance of exposure to the sun or to cold air; flannel waistcoat and trousers. This treatment, being strictly observed for two months, caused all the inflammatory symptoms to disappear, […]"
Etymology
Compare French aciduler. See acidulous.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.