Computerize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To provide with computerized equipment or systems ; to change data or operations into a format that can be processed by computers
2. To install or use computer technology for a device or system ; to transform information or workflows so they are managed digitally
3. To fit or upgrade with computers for automatic operation ; to encode or adapt tasks and data to be handled by a computer

Etymology: Computerize is a plain formation: the noun "computer" with the verb-forming suffix "-ize." The noun itself goes back to the Latin "computare," meaning to reckon or count together, built from "com-" (together) and "putare" (to think, reckon). For most of its life the word "computer" meant a person who calculated, and the machine sense came later. The verb grew out of that machine sense, so "computerize" describes turning something into a system that a machine can carry out. The suffix tells the story of the verb's form. "-ize" passed into English through Middle French "-iser" from Late Latin "-izare," which came from the Greek "-izein," used to turn nouns and adjectives into verbs. English adopted it heavily, and it attaches freely to modern nouns, so "computerize" was a natural new coinage once the machines became common.

Synonyms: automate, digitize, systematize, mechanize, process

Antonyms: manualize, dehumanize