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reify

[ree-uh-fahy, rey-]
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verb (used with object), re·i·fied, re·i·fy·ing.
  1. to convert into or regard as a concrete thing: to reify a concept.
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Origin of reify

1850–55; < Latin rē(s) thing + -ify
Related formsre·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for reify

emerge, appear, realize, unfold, happen, occur, do, complete, affirm, debunk, confirm, ratify, verify, prove, corroborate, demonstrate, validate, justify, illustrate, exemplify
British Dictionary definitions for reify

reify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied
  1. (tr) to consider or make (an abstract idea or concept) real or concrete
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Derived Formsreification, nounreificatory, adjectivereifier, noun

Word Origin for reify

C19: from Latin rēs thing; compare deify
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

Word Origin and History for reify

v.

"make into a thing; make real or material; consider as a thing," 1854, back-formation from reification, or else from re-, stem of Latin res "thing, object, matter, affair, event, circumstance, condition," from PIE *re- "to bestow, endow" + -fy. Related: Reified; reifying.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper