The chemical process of treating something with chlorine to disinfect or purify it, especially water.
From 'chloral' (a chemical compound) + '-ization' (suffix meaning the process of making something). The root 'chloro-' comes from Greek 'chloros' (green), because chlorine gas has a greenish color.
Chloralization revolutionized public health in the 1800s—before chemists figured out how to safely kill bacteria in drinking water with chlorine, cities were plagued by cholera and typhoid outbreaks that killed thousands. It's one of those invisible scientific victories we barely notice today.
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