treated

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of treat.

   The hospital treated hundreds of patients during the outbreak.

   The surface was treated with a protective coating before painting.

   Note

   One regular -ed form does double duty: it is the simple past (they treated) and, after have or be, the participle of perfects and passives (has been treated). Because treat covers so much ground, the form inherits the whole range: treated as an equal, treated to a meal, treated with a coating. Watch with, because an older use means bargained. Rulers who treated with rebels negotiated with them.

2. 2
   adjective

   Having been subjected to a treatment or deliberate process, such as cleaning, chemical change, or a protective coating.

   The treated fabric repels water and resists stains.

   Only treated lumber should be used for an outdoor deck.

   Similarprocessed

   Oppositeuntreated

   Note

   The participle turned description: before a noun it names the result of a process rather than the act, as in treated lumber or treated fabric. The grammar marks the shift, because the adjective can be graded (more treated, most treated), and the past participle cannot. After a verb the line blurs. The wood was treated may report either the finished state or the event of treating it.

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