tr.v. sec·u·lar·ized, sec·u·lar·iz·ing, sec·u·lar·iz·es 1. To transfer from ecclesiastical or religious to civil or lay use or ownership: "The ... government ... had secularized the charitable institutions of the Church" (David I. Kertzer). 2. To draw away from religious orientation; make worldly: a society that has become secularized. 3. To lift the monastic restrictions from (a member of the clergy). sec′u·lar·i·zation (-lər-ĭ-zāshən) n. |
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