nominalize

American  

[nom-uh-nl-ahyz] / ˈnɒm ə nlˌaɪz /

especially British, nominalise

verb (used with object)

nominalized, nominalizing

1. to convert (another part of speech) into a noun, as in changing the adjective lowly into the lowly or the verb legalize into legalization.

2. to convert (an underlying clause) into a noun phrase, as in changing he drinks to his drinking in I am worried about his drinking.

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Other Word Forms

• nominalization adjective

Etymology

Origin of nominalize

First recorded in 1650–60; nominal + -ize

Explanation

To nominalize is to take a verb, adjective, or other part of speech and transform it into a noun. One of the most common ways to nominalize is by adding -ing to a verb, changing "walk" to "walking." Nominalize is from nominal, "pertaining to nouns," and its Latin root, nomen, "name." Some words are nominalized by adding a suffix — and there are dozens of these endings, including -ing, -tion and -ity. It's good to watch out for places where you nominalize, because this can make your writing dull and passive. "I came to the decision to eat lunch," which nominalizes "decide" into "decision," is less direct than "I decided to eat lunch."