-ize

See also: ize, izé, íze, and izë

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /-aɪz/

According to the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, "it is unstressed (though strong) in Received Pronunciation and General American, but sometimes stressed in other varieties".

Etymology 1

From Middle English -isen, from Middle French -iser, from Medieval Latin -izō, from Ancient Greek -ίζω (-ízō), from Proto-Indo-European *-idyé- (verbal suffix). Cognate with Gothic -𐌹𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (-itjan, verbal suffix), Old High German -izzen (verbal suffix), Old English -ettan (verbal suffix). Also see notes.

Alternative forms

• -ise (non-Oxford British spelling)

Suffix

-ize

1. Used to form verbs from nouns or adjectives
   1. to make what is denoted by the noun/adjective

      ‎pixel + ‎-ize → ‎pixelize

   2. to do what is denoted by the noun/adjective

      ‎cannibal + ‎-ize → ‎cannibalize

Usage notes

• Many English verbs end in the suffix /aɪz/. Historically, this has been spelled -ize on words originating from Greek (for example baptize, Hellenize), while -ise has been used, especially in -vise, -tise, -cise, and -prise, on words that came from French or Latin roots (for example surprise, supervise). In the 19th century, it became common in the United Kingdom (due to French influence), and then also in Ireland, India, Australia, and New Zealand, to use -ise also on words that had historically been spelled -ize (hence baptise, Hellenise). However, the influential Oxford University Press and its Oxford English Dictionary continue to use the spelling -ize on Greek words, and -ize always been the spelling used in the United States and Canada on such words.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -ize

• -izer, -ization

Translations

suffix used to form verbs

• Catalan: -itzar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: -化 (faa³)

  Hakka: -化 (fa)

  Mandarin: -化 (zh) (huà)

  Min Nan: -化 (hoà)

• Danish: -ere, -isere
• Finnish: -oida, -öidä
• French: -iser (fr)
• Galician: -izar
• German: -ieren (de), -isieren (de)
• Greek: -ποιώ (el) (-poió), -ίζω (el) (-ízo)

  Ancient: -ποιέω (-poiéō), -ίζω (-ízō)

• Hungarian: -izál (hu), -alizál (see Usage notes at -izál)
• Ido: -izar
• Italian: -izzare (it)
• Japanese: -化する (ja) (-かする, -ka-suru) (化 (ja) (-か, -ka) + する (ja) (-suru))
• Korean: 화(化)하다 (-hwa-hada)
• Latin: -izō, -ficō, -faciō
• Lombard: -izà
• Norwegian: -ere
• Occitan: -izar
• Portuguese: -izar (pt)
• Romanian: -iza (ro)
• Russian: -изова́ть (-izovátʹ), -изи́ровать (-izírovatʹ)
• Spanish: -izar (es)
• Swedish: -era (sv), -isera (sv)
• Turkish: -ize, -le (tr), -la
• Vietnamese: ... hoá (vi)

Etymology 2

See -ise (noun-forming suffix).

Suffix

-ize

1. Alternative form of -ise (suffix used to form nouns)

   ‎palliard + ‎-ize → ‎palliardize