n. A process by which rubber is hardened using heat and sulphur.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. The act or process of imparting to caoutchouc, gutta-percha, or the like, greater elasticity, durability, or hardness by heating with sulphur under pressure.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A method of treating caoutchouc or india-rubber with some form of sulphur, to effect certain changes in its properties, and yield a soft (vulcanized india-rubber) or a hard (vulcauite) product.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. process of treating rubber or rubberlike materials with sulphur at great heat to improve elasticity and strength or to harden them
Word Usage
"Editor's note: If you follow the link below you will find larger versions of former NASA Chief Scientist John Grunsfeld's "vulcanization"."