-ize

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, especially similative verbs
   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 coming from Greek (for example baptize, Hellenize), while -ise has been used, especially in -vise, -tise, -cise, and -prise, on words coming from French or Latin (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 on words that had historically been spelled -ize (hence baptise, Hellenise). However, the influential Oxford University Press and its Oxford English Dictionary continued to use the spelling -ize on Greek words, and -ize has always been the spelling used in the United States and the predominant one in Canada on such words.

Derived terms

• -izer, -ization

Translations

Etymology 2

See -ise (noun-forming suffix).

Suffix

-ize

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

   ‎palliard + ‎-ize → ‎palliardize