Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Ionize \I"on*ize\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ionized}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Ionizing}.] (Elec. Chem.)
   To separate (a compound) into ions, esp. by dissolving in
   water. -- {I`on*i*za"tion}, n.

Source : WordNet®

ionization
     n 1: the condition of being dissociated into ions (as by heat or
          radiation or chemical reaction or electrical discharge);
          "the ionization of a gas" [syn: {ionisation}]
     2: the process of ionizing; the formation of ions by separating
        atoms or molecules or radicals or by adding or subtracting
        electrons from atoms by strong electric fields in a gas
        [syn: {ionisation}]