Commoditizing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of converting distinctive items into broadly available products emphasizes uniformity and price competition
2. This transformation involves altering unique offerings into standardized goods that prioritize cost and accessibility
3. The process of transforming unique products or services into standardized commodities that are widely accessible and compete mainly on price

Etymology: Commoditizing is the -ing form of "commoditize", which means turning something into a standard, interchangeable product that is bought and sold mainly on price. The verb is built from "commodity" plus the suffix "-ize", which turns a noun into a verb meaning "to make into" or "to treat as". The suffix itself travelled a long road: it comes from ancient Greek "-izein", passed through Late Latin and Middle French, and reached English as "-isen" in Middle English before settling into the form "-ize". "Commodity" has the more interesting history. It descends from Latin "commoditas", meaning convenience, advantage or suitability, a sense that survives in the older English idea of something being "commodious". It came into English through Anglo-Norman and Middle English, and its trading sense, a good that can be bought and sold, grew out of that original notion of usefulness. "Commoditize" therefore takes a word about convenience and makes it describe the process of stripping a product of its distinctiveness until only price matters.

Synonyms: standardizing, commercializing