Culturize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To enrich or develop the cultural awareness, values, or practices of a person or group; to foster refinement or sophistication in social habits and knowledge; to encourage the adoption of cultural customs and arts
2. To cultivate or enhance the appreciation of arts, traditions, and intellectual pursuits within an individual or community; to promote cultural growth and education; to instill cultural sensitivity and knowledge
3. To impart cultural education or influence so as to elevate social and intellectual standards; to nurture an understanding and respect for cultural heritage and diversity; to shape attitudes by introducing cultural concepts and practices

Etymology: "Culturize" is a plain formation: English "culture" with the verb-forming suffix "-ize" attached. "Culture" itself came into English from Middle French "culture," which traces back through Latin "cultūra" to the verb "colere," meaning to tend, cultivate, or inhabit. The original sense was agricultural, and the figurative sense of cultivating the mind came later. The suffix does the verb-making work. "-ize" descends from Ancient Greek "-izein," which turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make into" or "to treat in the manner of." It passed through Late Latin "-izāre" and Middle French "-iser" before reaching English, where it became "-ize" and was attached freely to native and borrowed bases alike. Combining the two gives "culturize," a verb meaning to cultivate culture in a person or group. The word is a straightforward English coinage from these parts, and its meaning follows directly from the sense of tending the mind that "culture" had already acquired.

Synonyms: cultivate, civilize, educate, refine, enlighten

Antonyms: brutalize, barbarize