grammaticalize

[ gruh-mat-i-kuh-lahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, Linguistics.

, gram·mat·i·cal·ized, gram·mat·i·cal·iz·ing.

1. to convert (a content word or part of one) into a functor, as in using OE līc, “body,” as a suffix in adjectives and adverbs, such as OE frēondlīc, “friendly.”
2. to represent (semantic features) by grammatical categories, as plurality in English or gender in French.

Other Words From

• gram·mati·cal·i·zation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grammaticalize¹

First recorded in 1935–40; grammatical + -ize