Aestheticises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Transforms an object or experience to enhance its visual or artistic appeal
2. Applies artistic elements or design principles to improve the sensory impression of something
3. Endows items or scenarios with beauty or style so they are more pleasing to the senses

Etymology: This is an inflected form: the third-person singular present of "aestheticise", a verb built from "aesthetic" with the suffix "-ise". The base word traces back to ancient Greek "aisthētikos", meaning "perceptive" or "relating to perception by the senses", from "aisthanesthai", "to perceive". That Greek sense of sensory perception is the root of the modern meaning, which is why the word is concerned with how things look, sound and feel. The Greek adjective passed into Latin as "aesthēticus" and reached English through French "esthétique", giving the English adjective "aesthetic". English then added the verb-forming ending "-ise", which comes from Old French "-iser" and ultimately from Greek "-izein", to make the verb "aestheticise", meaning to give something an aesthetic quality. The "-s" ending on "aestheticises" simply marks the third-person singular present, as in "he aestheticises his kitchen".

Synonyms: beautifies, elevates

Antonyms: degrades, diminishes