galvanize

To coat with a layer of metal by electrochemical means.broadlydatedtransitive

To coat with a layer of metal by electrochemical means.; To coat with a layer of zinc (for rust resistance) by electrochemical means.broadlydatedtransitive

• We then galvanize the steel so that the zinc coating will sacrificially take the corrosion for many years.

To shock or stimulate into sudden activity, as if by electric shock.figurativelytransitive

• The girl’s picture helped galvanize public opinion against the administration’s policy.
• Republicans are hoping a proposed gas-tax repeal will galvanize their voters.

To electrify, as by galvanism.archaictransitive

• The agitations resembled the grinnings and writhings of a galvanized corpse, not the struggles of an athletic man.

To switch sides between Union and Confederate in the American Civil War.UShistoricaltransitive

• Reenactors called this “galvanizing,” the Civil War term for soldiers who switched sides during the conflict.