heat-treat
|heat-treat|
/ˈhiːtˌtriːt/
apply heat to change (material properties)
Etymology
'heat-treat' originates from Modern English compounding of 'heat' and 'treat', where 'heat' ultimately comes from Old English 'hǣtu' meaning 'warmth' and 'treat' comes from Old French 'traitier' (from Latin 'tractare') meaning 'to handle or manage'.
'heat' descended from Old English 'hǣtu' and related Germanic roots for warmth; 'treat' evolved from Latin 'tractare' → Old French 'traitier' → Middle English 'treaten'. The compound 'heat-treat' developed in technical/industrial English in the 19th–20th centuries to name the specific process.
Initially, 'treat' broadly meant 'to handle or deal with', but when combined with 'heat' the compound meaning narrowed to 'apply controlled heat (and cooling) to alter material properties', which is the modern technical sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a process in which a material is subjected to heating and cooling to alter its properties; a heat treatment.
The part underwent a heat-treat to relieve internal stresses.
Synonyms
Verb 1
to subject a material (especially metal) to a controlled sequence of heating and cooling to change its physical or mechanical properties.
They heat-treat the gears to increase hardness and wear resistance.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/21 00:01