Encephalise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause a lineage to develop a proportionally larger brain relative to its body size over evolutionary time
2. Describing the process by which a species grows a bigger brain compared with its body across generations
3. To enlarge the brain in proportion to body mass as a result of evolutionary change within a population

Etymology: "Encephalise" is the British spelling of "encephalize," and it is built in the most transparent way possible: "encephal-," a combining form drawn from the Greek "enkephalos," meaning "brain" (literally "within the head," from "en," in, and "kephalē," head), plus the verb-forming suffix "-ize." The result is a verb meaning to enlarge the brain. The suffix does the work here. "-ize" (or "-ise") attaches to a noun or stem to make a verb meaning "to make into" or "to cause to become," so the word follows the same pattern as verbs like "modernize" or "fertilize." Combined with "encephal-," it describes a process of making the brain bigger, which is the sense the dictionary gives.