-ize


a verb-forming suffix occurring originally in loanwords from greek that have entered english through latin or french (baptize; barbarize; catechize); within english, -ize, is added to adjectives and nouns to form transitive verbs with the general senses “to render, make” (actualize; fossilize; sterilize; americanize), “to convert into, give a specified character or form to” (computerize; dramatize; itemize; motorize), “to subject to (as a process, sometimes named after its originator)” (hospitalize; terrorize; galvanize; oxidize; simonize; winterize). also formed with -ize, are a more heterogeneous group of verbs, usually intransitive, denoting a change of state (crystallize), kinds or instances of behavior (apologize; moralize; tyrannize), or activities (economize; philosophize; theorize).
usage note
-ize
suffix
to cause to become, resemble, or agree with legalize
to become; change into crystallize
to affect in a specified way; subject to hypnotize
to act according to some practice, principle, policy, etc economize
usage note
word origin
-ize
suffix forming verbs, m.e. -isen, from o.fr. -iser, from l.l. -izare, from gk. -izein. english picked up the fr. form, but partially reverted to the correct gk. -z- spelling from late 16c. in britain, despite the opposition (at least formerly) of oed, encyclopaedia britannica, times of london, and fowler, -ise remains dominant. fowler thinks this is to avoid the difficulty of remembering the short list of common words not from greek (advertise, devise, surprise) which must be spelled with an -s-.

Read Also:

  • -ji

    /-dziː/ suffix (indian) a suffix placed after a person’s name or t-tle as a mark of respect word origin

  • -kin

    a diminutive suffix of nouns: lambkin. -kin suffix small lambkin word origin -kin dim. suffix, first attested mid-13c. in proper names adopted from flanders and holland, probably from m.du. -kin, properly a double-dim., from -k + -in. equivalent to ger. -chen.

  • -kinesia

    a combining form with the meaning “movement, muscular activity,” used in the formation of compound words: dyskinesia; hyperkinesia.

  • -kinesis

    a combining form with the general sense “movement, activity,” used in the formation of compound words, often with the particular senses “reaction to a stimulus” (photokinesis), “movement without an apparent physical cause” (telekinesis), “activity within a cell” (karyokinesis).

  • -kinetic

    a combining form found on adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -kinesia, or -kinesis: bradykinetic.


Disclaimer: -ize definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.