Americanize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make something conform to the customs or culture of the United States
2. To adapt a product, idea, or practice to be more in line with American ways or standards
3. To influence or modify an individual or community so that they adopt American traits or characteristics

Etymology: "Americanize" is built from two parts: "American," the adjective for things pertaining to the United States, and the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make into, or to cause to become." The verb's first recorded use dates to 1797, which places it in the years just after the United States had become an independent nation, when Americans were actively working to define their own language, customs and identity apart from Britain. The suffix "-ize" has a long pedigree. It descends from Greek "-izein," which Latin borrowed as "-izare," and it entered English in large numbers through French and directly from Greek and Latin scholarship. Words like "modernize" and "civilize" follow the same pattern, so "americanize" fits neatly into a well-established family of verbs for transforming something into a new condition.

Synonyms: adapt, assimilate