Deethnicize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove or reduce the ethnic characteristics or distinctions from a person, group, or culture ; to eliminate ethnic identity in order to create a more uniform or neutral social category ; to strip away ethnic markers or traits in social, political, or cultural contexts
2. To diminish or erase ethnic features or identities from individuals or collectives ; to neutralize ethnic differences so that distinctions based on heritage are blurred or lost ; to detach ethnic elements from cultural or communal identities for integration or assimilation purposes
3. To transform or alter a social or cultural entity by discarding ethnic identifiers ; to suppress or omit ethnic attributes to promote a non-ethnic or generalized identity ; to neutralize ethnic distinctions in order to foster inclusivity or reduce ethnic division

Etymology: "Deethnicize" is formed by attaching the reversing prefix "de-" to "ethnicize," which in turn comes from "ethnic" plus the verbal suffix "-ize." "Ethnic" traces back through Late Latin "ethnicus" to Greek "ethnikos," from "ethnos," meaning a group of people sharing customs or descent, originally a nation or people in contrast to one's own. The suffix "-ize," from Greek "-izein," turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make or treat in a certain way. The prefix "de-" from Latin means "down, away from, or reverse," so "deethnicize" literally means to undo the process of making something ethnic. In practice it describes stripping a people, place, product, or cultural practice of its specific ethnic character, often by assimilating it into a dominant or neutral identity. The word is a modern formation built from these parts rather than an older inherited term, and its use is mostly found in sociological and political writing.

Synonyms: assimilate, integrate, homogenize

Antonyms: ethnicize, differentiate, segregate