Home UK English Latinize

Meaning of Latinize in English:

Latinize

(British Latinise)

Pronunciation /ˈlatɪnʌɪz/

Translate Latinize into Spanish

verb

[with object]

  • 1Give a Latin or Latinate form to (a word)

    ‘his name was Latinized into Confucius’
    • ‘I'm not quite sure why he felt the need to Latinise the names of his fallacies but I suspect it put more people off reading the article than it encouraged.’
    • ‘Colchester, whose name was now Latinized to Camulodunum, became the site of a substantial fortress for the Twentieth Legion.’
    • ‘The shortened, Latinised version of his name became Sancte Claus, which led to the obvious name of Santa Claus.’
    • ‘Possibly the most famous musical instruments of all are the violins produced by the Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari, better known by the Latinised name, Stradivarius.’
    • ‘Abraham Ortel, known by his Latinised name of Ortelius, was born in Antwerp on 4 April 1527.’
    • ‘Jabir ibn Aflah is often known by the Latinised form of his name, namely Geber.’
    1. 1.1archaic Translate into Latin.
      • ‘he had a hand in Latinizing that book’
    2. 1.2archaic no object Use Latin forms or idiom.
      • ‘she Latinizes less in the poems that follow’

  • 2Make (a people) conform to the ideas and customs of the ancient Romans, the Latin peoples, or the Latin Church.

    ‘It was the winter of rebellion as the Marthomite Christians decided to resist what they called attempts to ‘Latinise’ the church in Kerala.’
    • ‘Latin Americans don't want to Latinize the United States - they want to Americanize their own countries.’
    • ‘Jupiter promises to add the Teucrian rituals and mores, but to Latinize them.’

Origin

Late 16th century from late Latin Latinizare, from Latin Latinus (see Latin).