Latinize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause to conform to the customs, traditions, beliefs, etc., of the Latins or the Latin Church.
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to intermix with Latin elements.
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to translate into Latin.
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to make Latin American in character.
The influx of Cuban immigrants has Latinized Miami.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to translate into Latin or Latinisms
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to transliterate into the Latin alphabet
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to cause to acquire Latin style or customs
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to bring Roman Catholic influence to bear upon (the form of religious ceremonies, etc)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Latinize
First recorded in 1580–90; < Late Latin latīnīzāre “to translate into Latin”; see Latin, -ize
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It was not, then, Harvey's purpose to Latinize our tongue.
From A History of Literary Criticism in the Renaissance With special reference to the influence of Italy in the formation and development of modern classicism by Spingarn, Joel Elias
I should be sorry if Canadians ever began to Latinize their sentences, to "can" their speech and pickle it in the vinegar pedantry of the peeved study-chair critic.
From The Canadian Commonwealth by Laut, Agnes C. (Agnes Christina)
Another circumstance contributed to Latinize the German races outside of Germany.
From A History of Germany From the Earliest Times to the Present Day by Taylor, Bayard
He owed his aristocratic name to the custom, prevalent in those days, to Latinize all vulgar appellations.
From Essays on Scandinavian Literature by Boyesen, Hjalmar Hjorth
At least, they didn’t try to Latinize things in extraterrestrial zoology any more.
From Little Fuzzy by Piper, H. Beam
For some reason along the way the spelling became Latinized to Uranus, and the pronunciation seems to have followed suit.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2022
But if we go down south, then we run into people who are Latinized indigenous people.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2018
The album, which sold a reported 2 million copies, included Latinized versions of standards such as “My Yiddishe Momme,” “Raisins and Almonds” and “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 23, 2016
Some users have also disputed the Latinized version of “Jimbo.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2013
This backward-looking astronomer had been born in 1611, which perhaps explains his old-fashioned attitude, and christened Johann Höwelcke, but Latinized his name to Johannes Hevelius.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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Michael Pauw of Amsterdam acquired this land in 1630 and called it “Pavonia,” or “Land of the Peacock” which he derived by Latinizing his own name.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
In his younger days, Mr. Fields specialized in Latinizing standards.
From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2016
His cumbersome style, "my Latinizing way of writing English," he attributes to "my classical education."
From Time Magazine Archive
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Respecting the probability of the Semitic origin of the name of the Canary Islands, Pliny, in his Latinizing etymological notions, considered them to be Dog Islands!
From The Conquest of Canada (Vol. 1 of 2) by Warburton, George
The parish priests, or white clergy, are so still, except some of the Latinizing ones.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 5 "Arculf" to "Armour, Philip" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.