Europeanizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To adapt or modify according to European customs, culture, or standards; to influence a person, society, or object to conform with European ways of life; to introduce European elements into diverse contexts
2. To transform or shape something by incorporating characteristics typical of Europe; to bring under European influence or cultural norms; to acculturate or align practices with those commonly found in European settings
3. To cause to become European in character or style, including habits and governance; to export European ideologies or practices to other regions; to render compatible with European cultural or social frameworks

Etymology: Europe itself began as a Greek name, "Eurōpē", whose origin is uncertain, though it is often linked to a mythological princess carried off by Zeus disguised as a bull. Greek writers later formed "Eurōpaios" as an adjective for things belonging to that region, and Latin borrowed it as "Eurōpaeus". By the nineteenth century, English had "European" from French, and the verb grew from it by a suffix that did a lot of work in English: "-ize", inherited through Old French and Late Latin from the Greek "-izein". The verb "europeanize" is a regular formation from the adjective "European" plus "-ize", meaning to make something conform to European ways. The suffix is productive, so the same pattern produced "americanize", "westernize" and many others, all describing a culture bending toward a model.

Synonyms: westernizes, modernizes, civilizes, refines, cultivates

Antonyms: de-europeanizes, dewesternizes, barbarizes, uncivilizes