Definition of Latinize in English:

verb

• 1Give a Latin or Latinate form to (a word)

  ‘his name was Latinized into Confucius’

  More example sentences

  • ‘I'm not quite sure why he felt the need to Latinise the names of his fallacies but I suspect it put more people off reading the article than it encouraged.’
  • ‘Possibly the most famous musical instruments of all are the violins produced by the Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari, better known by the Latinised name, Stradivarius.’
  • ‘Colchester, whose name was now Latinized to Camulodunum, became the site of a substantial fortress for the Twentieth Legion.’
  • ‘The shortened, Latinised version of his name became Sancte Claus, which led to the obvious name of Santa Claus.’
  • ‘Jabir ibn Aflah is often known by the Latinised form of his name, namely Geber.’
  • ‘Abraham Ortel, known by his Latinised name of Ortelius, was born in Antwerp on 4 April 1527.’

  1. 1.1archaic Translate into Latin.
     ‘he had a hand in Latinizing that book’
  2. 1.2archaic no object Use Latin forms or idiom.
     ‘she Latinizes less in the poems that follow’

• 2Make (a people) conform to the ideas and customs of the ancient Romans, the Latin peoples, or the Latin Church.

  Example sentences

  • ‘Jupiter promises to add the Teucrian rituals and mores, but to Latinize them.’
  • ‘It was the winter of rebellion as the Marthomite Christians decided to resist what they called attempts to ‘Latinise’ the church in Kerala.’
  • ‘Latin Americans don't want to Latinize the United States - they want to Americanize their own countries.’