Where does “civilize” come from?
Civilize comes from English civil, combined with the English suffix -ize, from Latin -izo and Latin -ia, ultimately from Ancient Greek -ία and the Proto-Indo-European root ḱey-.
civilize (English): Alternative spelling of civilise
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of civilise
Ancestry of “civilize”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | civiliser | To civilize |
| 2 | French | -iser | -ise/-ize |
| 3 | Old French | -iser | -ize |
| 4 | Latin | -izo | Used to form verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ίζειν | present active infinitive of -ίζω; -ize |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ίζω | Used to form verbs from nouns, adjectives and... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -íďďō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -idyéti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
Words derived from “civilize”