# Catalyst, catalyse



## ThomasK

What is your equivalent for *'catalyst'* (where of course I am especially interested in words not based on the Greek word or root, if there are any)? And then: do you have a verb like *'catalyse'* in your language?

I suppose we all go for paraphrases or metaphorical expressions:
 - Dutch: *werken als een katalysator* (work like a catalyst), maybe *op gang brengen* (to bring into working (lit. going)
 - English: *trigger* (do you agree ?), *set off, spark* ???
 - German : *auslösen* (yes ?)

_Just by the way: I am not sure everyone uses the word in the same way. I always thought it was a substance that did not participate in the process but had an effect (causing to change or increase) on it. One definition mentions that a catalyst constitutes a small quantity compared to the reactants, which might account for what I described as 'not participating'..._ But I think the term refers to a very interesting phenomenon, not only in Chemistry (or physics) but also in society.


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## Ghabi

Arabic: حفاز (pronounced 7affaaz), "one that urges frequently", the intensive nominal form (often used for the agent of an action, thus here "urger") of the verb 7afaza "it urged".

Chinese: 催化劑 (pronounced cui1hua4ji4), "urge-change-agent"; an alternative name 觸媒 chu4mei2 seems to be borrowed from Japanese (触媒 shokubai), which is literally contact-matchmaker; perhaps the idea is that the catalyst helps the reactants involved make contact with each other. (cui1hua4 is also used metaphorically as a verb.)


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## ger4

ThomasK said:


> German : *auslösen*


Yes, I think that's how we would normally translate verbs like 'trigger' or 'spark'. There is also the verb _*sich entzünden*_ (lit. "to inflame itself", intransitive) which can be used to express a literal or a figurative meaning.

(1)_* auslösen*_ < _aus_ (~ off) + _lösen_ (to loosen, to unlock)
(2)_* sich entzünden*_ < _sich_ (reflexive pronoun) + _ent-_ (prefix) + _zünden_ (~ to kindle) (the reflx. pron. makes it intransitive)

(1) subject = trigger
(2) subject = reactant

A sentence like 'the remark triggered/sparked a debate could be translated as:
(1)_ Die Bemerkung *löste* eine Debatte *aus*_.
(2) _An dieser Bemerkung *entzündete* sich eine Debatte.
_
The corresponding noun for _auslösen_ is _Auslöser, _'trigger'. In a non-figurative way _auslösen_ can of course also be used in the expression _eine Explosion auslösen_ - 'to spark off an explosion' (the catalyst may perhaps be a spark)


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## apmoy70

Greek:

*«Καταλύτης»* [kataˈlitis] (masc.) --> _catalyst, arbitrator, adjudicator_ < Classical masc. noun *«καταλύτης» kătălútēs* --> _lodger, stranger, arbitrator_ < compound; prefix, adverb and preposition *«κάτα» kắtă* --> _down(wards), against, along, through, over, across, concerning_ (PIE *km̥t- _down, with, along_ cf Hitt. katta (postpos.), _along, with_) + Classical v. *«λύω» lúō* --> _'to loose, untie, release, (re)solve, destroy, pay_ (PIE *lh₁u _to cut off, release_ cf Skt. लून (lūna), Lat. luere, Proto-Germanic *lausaz > Ger. los, Eng. loose, Dt. loos).

MoGr v. *«καταλύω»* [kataˈli.o] --> _to abolish, destroy, terminate (trans.), reside temporarily, lodge, spend the night (intrans.)_ < Classical v. *«καταλύω» kătălúō* --> _to dissolve, break up, put down, abolish, bring to end, unloose, unyoke (trans.), take up one's quarters, lodge (intrans.)_



ThomasK said:


> _Just by the way: I am not sure everyone uses the word in the same way._


We use the word (besides its scientific/chemical purpose of course) as a metaphor for the person/event/situation that adjudicated a quarrel, or brought to its end something (a situation, a relationship, a contract, a job etc.).


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## ThomasK

Very interesting contributions, thanks.

Arabic: something like fig. pushing? Can you use it literally? But it refers to repetition, I understand? That is surprising... Intensity would be less strange to me.

Chinese: interesting association of bringing together. Might be quite right...

German: not 'Die Bemerkung entzündete die Debatte' then?

Greek: so the idea of finalizing seems central then? I had thought of cutting off, but then I'd be going too far, I suppose... Could you say that the term in Greek can be used in both a negative and a positive sense?


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> Could you say that the term in Greek can be used in both a negative and a positive sense?


Υup, it's totally neutral


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## ger4

ThomasK said:


> German: not 'Die Bemerkung entzündete die Debatte' then?


That would be quite logical but I've never heard or read this expression. A Google-search didn't help either... There is another similar verb, though: _entfachen*_ ('to spark', transitive): _Die Bemerkung entfachte eine Debatte_. You could also use the verb _hervorrufen** _in this context: _Die Bemerkung rief eine Debatte hervor _(in the latter case, I think the debate would be less 'explosive', a bit calmer perhaps - not exciting enough to make headlines).

* _ein Feuer entfachen_ - to fan the flame
** _hervorrufen _- to trigger < _hervor_ (~ forward) + _rufen_ (to call)


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## ThomasK

Thanks for both your answers. And as a matter of fact, Holger, triggering is not as explosive in English as it might seem (I suppose you think of a pistol), or at least, as far as I know...


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## Ghabi

ThomasK said:


> Arabic: something like fig. pushing?


"Pusher" would sound right. The verb 7afaza means "it urged/incited/encouraged/stimulated etc" (in Arabic a verb is cited in its third-person singular masculine past form), and 7affaaz is a noun derived from the verb, in the "intensive" pattern fa33aal (mentioned in this post).

The pattern is mostly used for occupation. For example, "he baked" is khabaza, and a baker is khabbaaz (the root consonants kh-b-z fitted into the pattern fa33aal). The same goes for 7affaaz, although in this case "occupation" isn't the suitable word.


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## ThomasK

Do I understand you correctly when I then think that baking in Arabic is considered some kind of pushing (like kneading, maybe blunging). So the inciting/ encouraging/... can be some kind of fig./ metaphorical use of the baking verb?


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## Ghabi

Oh no, that ("he baked - baker") is just an example to show how Arabic morphology works. I must be the worst explainer of things in the world, sorry for the confusion! (Baking has nothing to do with pushing in Arabic.)


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## ThomasK

I thought I was mistaken, don't worry. But the main point is: you cannot use _7afaza_ in a concrete way, or can you? That is what I meant with my question in #5. I could imagine - but I will be quite mistaken, I suppose - that one could 7afaza someone aside [push aside], or something the like?

(I start from the hypothesis that a lot of abstract words in IE languages are based on a verb root referring to a concrete action (like _comprendre_ and _prendre_ in French.)


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## Ghabi

Yes, the ancient dictionaries gloss 7afaza as "to push someone from behind" (دَفَعَهُ من خَلْفِهِ) and "to stab someone by a spear" (طَعَنَه بالرُّمْحِ). But of course 7affaaz is a recent coinage.


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## ThomasK

I see! Thanks! _(BTW: do you ever adopt words with a Latin or Greek root? Or English?)_


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## Gavril

ThomasK said:


> What is your equivalent for *'catalyst'* (where of course I am especially interested in words not based on the Greek word or root, if there are any)? And then: do you have a verb like *'catalyse'* in your language?


[...]


> - English: *trigger* (do you agree ?), *set off, spark* ???


These verbs could indeed stand in for "catalyze", but not in the unique, technical sense that you describe in your last paragraph (i.e., to have an effect on something/someone without any net effect on oneself). In other words, they are synonyms of "catalyze" only insofar as "catalyze" is a synonym of "to cause".

In Icelandic, the word for "catalyze" is _*hvetja*_, which more basically means "to encourage, urge". It is related to the English verb _whet_ "to sharpen, encourage" (which is most commonly seen in the term _whetstone_ and in the phrase _to whet one's appetite_). The word for "catalyst" in Icelandic is _hvati_ or, in a chemical context, _efnahvati_ (_efna_- = "substance").


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## ThomasK

Interesting: Icelandic does use an Icelandic word for "catalyst" whereas in the first case this connection is inexistent. _(But I cannot see what post you are referring to)
_
Funny though that we have used 'katalysator"/ "catalyst" in a figurative sense, whereas the meanng comes close to "cause", but I think "a catalyst" causes without force, almost indirectly (like triggering)... I am not quite sure though.


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## Gavril

ThomasK said:


> _(But I cannot see what post you are referring to)_



Where? I was just responding to your initial post, which I quoted in the message.



> but I think "a catalyst" causes without force, almost indirectly (like triggering)... I am not quite sure though.



Here are the first three definitions of _catalyst_ from the Random House dictionary (American English):


> 1.
> _Chemistry._ a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.
> 2.
> something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected.
> 3.
> a person or thing that precipitates an event or change



The first two definitions are the more technical ones. It seems like we have mainly been discussing the third definition on this thread.


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## ThomasK

_Aaarrrhhh, I don't recognize my own writing: I apologize!_

Precipitating, what an interesting word! I had not thought of that word and had to look it up to fully understand. I found at en.bab.la:

" *to precipitate*_ [__precipitated|precipitated_] {vb} (also: _to accelerate, to advance, to speed up, to haste_)"

I certainly was not aware of any chemical use of it. Thanks!


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## 810senior

In Japanese, it's equivalent to 触媒syokubai (touching mediator).


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## ThomasK

That is interesting indeed. So you begin with a word like touching (Google suggested 'contact') and then 'mediator' (Google suggests 'matchmaker'). I thought a catalyst does not even touch the other matter, but that is not the point. But would you have a verb meaning something like triggering (The government triggered a lot of protest). [I find 'cause' too as triggering often happens indirectly, it seems to me...


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## 810senior

I always find hard in translating Chinese character compounds into Japanese so maybe I wouldn't have enough expression about that: generally 触(syoku) means to touch(verb, fur-eru, sawar-u) and 媒 means a matchmaker(in wedding) and mediator(in merchandising) or inter-mediating. (媒's also read as nakadachi[intermediation] or nakoudo[mediator], in the second case, mainly written in 媒人 where 人 was added)

As for a verb, unfortunately, a verbal form such as 触媒する(syokubai-suru) is rarely used and instead we commonly say 触媒として働く(to work as catalyst). (if you wanted to know just the similar verb working like to trigger in English, there are some translations for it: 引き起こすhikiokosu(to pull up), ~するきっかけとなる~suru kikkake to naru(to become an opportunity to do) and so on.


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## ThomasK

Thanks! Interesting: Google translates the latter simply as 'cause' but as you say, that is Google.


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## Dymn

In both Catalan and Spanish 'trigger' is usually translated as _*desencadenar*_, the negative (cf. English _dis-_) from _*encadenar *_'to join with chains', ultimately from _*cadena *_'chain'.

Catalan has _*desfermar*_, from _*fermar *_'to tie'. The 'official' dictionary doesn't gather this meaning, but I'm sure that it is used that way. And Spanish has _*desatar*_, from _*atar *_'to tie'.

Other vaguer concepts could be _*provocar*_, _*activar*_, etc.


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## ThomasK

Very interesting observation: we might perhaps use _*un-chain/ ont-ketenen*_ too... It made me realize that what catalysts do is unchain the system, but they don't seem to cause something directly... I think that is why triggering requires an inanimate subject, a non-conscious subject, I think.


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## ger4

Diamant7 said:


> _*desencadenar*_, the negative (cf. English _dis-_) from _*encadenar *_'to join with chains', ultimately from _*cadena *_'chain'.





ThomasK said:


> un-chain/ ont-ketenen


I think German _entfesseln_ can be used in a similar way (_Fesseln_ = fetters).
--> _eine Kettenreaktion entfesseln_ - to trigger a chain reaction


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