Degaelicized

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Strips a place, people, or culture of its Gaelic language, customs, and identity, making it less Irish or Scottish in character
2. Takes away the Gaelic character, language, or traditions that once shaped a region or community
3. Makes something no longer Gaelic in its language, culture, or identity, often through deliberate or gradual assimilation

Etymology: Its history is simply a stack of parts. The base is "Gaelic," the adjective for the Gaels and their language, which English adopted in the 1500s. Adding "-ize" makes "gaelicize," meaning to give something a Gaelic character or make it conform to Gaelic ways. The suffix comes through French from Greek and Latin, where it carried the sense of making or becoming something. The prefix "de-," from Latin, reverses the action, so to "degaelicize" something is to strip out its Gaelic character, often by bringing it into line with English or other non-Gaelic norms. It is a formation of the kind English speakers build on demand, so it has no single coiner or famous first use.