laicize

[ley-uh-sahyz]

verb (used with object), la·i·cized, la·i·ciz·ing.

to remove the clerical character or nature of; secularize: to laicize a school; to laicize the office of headmaster.

Also especially British, la·i·cise.

Origin of laicize

First recorded in 1790–1800; laic + -ize

Related formsla·i·ci·za·tion

[ley-uh-suh-zey-shuh n] /ˌleɪ ə səˈzeɪ ʃən/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for laicize

laicize

laicise

verb

(tr) to withdraw clerical or ecclesiastical character or status from (an institution, building, etc)

Derived Formslaicization or laicisation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012