passivate

verb

pas·​siv·​ate ˈpa-si-ˌvāt 

passivated; passivating

transitive verb

1

: to make inactive or less reactive

passivate the surface of steel by chemical treatment

2

: to protect (something, such as a solid-state device) against contamination by coating or surface treatment

passivation

ˌpa-si-ˈvā-shən 

noun

Examples of passivate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While a failure to properly passivate the spacecraft could not be ruled out, McDowell notes that a possible debris impact could suggest that the space debris environment in GEO, and the graveyard orbit above it, is worse than previously believed. — Andrew Jones, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Engineers had mastered the technical steps of making silicon wafers, diffusing diode junctions, applying metal grids to the solar-cell surfaces, passivating the semiconductor surface to add an antireflective coating, and laminating modules. — David Fork, IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for passivate

• civet
• pivot
• privet
• rivet