relexify

[ree-lek-suh-fahy]

verb (used with object), re·lex·i·fied, re·lex·i·fy·ing. Linguistics.

to replace the vocabulary of (a language, especially a pidgin) with words drawn from another language, without changing the grammatical structure.

Origin of relexify

First recorded in 1960–65; re- + lexi(con) + -fy

Related formsre·lex·i·fi·ca·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018