naturalize

especially British, nat·u·ral·ise

[nach-er-uh-lahyz, nach-ruh-]

verb (used with object)

naturalized, naturalizing 

1. to confer upon (an alien) the rights and privileges of a citizen.

2. to introduce (organisms) into a region and cause them to flourish as if native.

3. to introduce or adopt (foreign practices, words, etc.) into a country or into general use.

   to naturalize a French phrase.

4. to bring into conformity with nature.

5. to regard or explain as natural rather than supernatural.

   to naturalize miracles.

6. to adapt or accustom to a place or to new surroundings.

verb (used without object)

naturalized, naturalizing 

1. to become naturalized.

2. to adapt as if native to a new environment, set of circumstances, etc.

3. to study or carry on research in natural history.

naturalize

/ -tʃərə-, ˈnætʃrəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to give citizenship to (a person of foreign birth)

2. to be or cause to be adopted in another place, as a word, custom, etc

3. (tr) to introduce (a plant or animal from another region) and cause it to adapt to local conditions

4. (intr) (of a plant or animal) to adapt successfully to a foreign environment and spread there

5. (tr) to explain (something unusual) with reference to nature, excluding the supernatural

6. (tr) to make natural or more lifelike

naturalize

1. To establish a nonnative species in a region where it is able to reproduce successfully and live alongside native species in the wild. Naturalized species may be introduced intentionally or unintentionally. Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia but have become naturalized in many other parts of the world.

Other Word Forms

• naturalization noun
• naturalizer noun
• unnaturalize verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of naturalize¹

First recorded in 1585–95; natural + -ize

Example Sentences

Tellis, a naturalized American originally from India, helped negotiate the Bush administration's civil nuclear cooperation deal with India, a landmark step to closer relations between the world's two largest democracies.

Read more on Barron's

Tellis, a naturalized US citizen originally from India, is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and served in senior positions under former president George W. Bush.

Read more on Barron's

Liu is a Chinese national and two of her children are Americans through being born in the U.S., while her daughter, Grace, is naturalized through marriage.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Her husband is a naturalized citizen and together they have four children.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Nearly a dozen of my cousins left their native-born countries to come to the U.S. and eventually naturalize.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• familiarize