Galvanized iron

iron coated with zinc by galvanic deposition; more commonly, iron coated with zinc by a peculiar process, in which the coating is produced, not by galvanism, but by plunging the iron, after its surface has been cleaned by friction, and with the aid of dilute acid, into a bath of melted zinc and mercury and potassium or sodium; hence, the term galvanized is improperly used for the latter process.