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-ize or -ise

suff.

a. To cause to be or to become: dramatize.

b. To cause to conform to or resemble: Hellenize.

c. To treat as: idolize.

a. To treat or affect with: anesthetize.

b. To subject to: tyrannize.

3. To treat according to or practice the method of: pasteurize.

4. To become; become like: materialize.

5. To perform, engage in, or produce: botanize.

[Middle English -isen, from Old French -iser, from Late Latin -izāre, from Greek -izein, v. suff.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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