To convert iron into steel; to harden or strengthen something to steel-like quality.
From French 'aciérer,' derived from 'acier' (steel). The verb form emerged alongside industrial steel-making in the 18th and 19th centuries, describing both literal conversion and metaphorical hardening.
The Bessemer process acierates iron by blasting compressed air through molten metal—a single innovation that made cheap steel possible, completely transforming railroads, ships, and buildings!
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