laicize

[ ley-uh-sahyz ]

/ ˈleɪ əˌsaɪz /

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.

Nearby words

laia, laibach, laic, laicism, laicization, laicize, laid, laid deck, laid paper, laid up, laid-back

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

/ (ˈleɪɪˌsaɪz) /

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