embrittle

From em- +‎ brittle.

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embrittle (third-person singular simple present embrittles, present participle embrittling, simple past and past participle embrittled)

1. To become or make brittle.
   • 2014 August 17, Jeff Howell, “Home improvements: Repairing and replacing floorboards [print version: Never buy anything from a salesman, 16 August 2014, p. P7]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property)‎:

     But I must warn you that chipboard floors are always likely to squeak. The material is still being used in new-builds, but developers now use adhesive to bed and joint it, rather than screws or nails. I suspect the adhesive will eventually embrittle and crack, resulting in the same squeaking problems as before.

• embrittlement