Indigenize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make something or someone native to a particular region by adapting it to local customs or conditions
2. The process of transforming or adapting an object, idea, or practice so it fits naturally within a specific culture or environment
3. Changing a foreign element so that it harmonizes with the indigenous culture or local traditions

Etymology: Latin "indigena" meant "native" or "born in the place," formed from "indu," an older form of "in," and a root related to "gignere," "to beget." The English adjective "indigenous" comes from the same Latin base and originally carried that plain sense of belonging to a land, with no notion of culture attached. "Indigenize" adds the suffix "-ize," which comes through Latin "-izare" from Greek "-izein." The suffix turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make something into a certain condition or to treat it in a certain way. Its use here is narrower than the literal sense: a foreign practice, object or idea is reshaped until it fits local customs. A church service, a food, or a piece of technology might be indigenized in this way, so that it no longer reads as imported.

Synonyms: localize, adapt, integrate, naturalize, indigenate

Antonyms: alienate, assimilate, foreignize, expatriate, detach