Juvenilize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make or cause to appear younger in age or character; to impart qualities associated with youth to something or someone; to revert or transform into a more juvenile or youthful state
2. To alter so as to resemble or emulate youthfulness; to refresh or renew by adopting youthful traits or attributes; to induce a state corresponding to an earlier stage of life
3. To render or transform into a youthful condition either physically or figuratively; to imbue with juvenile characteristics; to promote characteristics commonly found in younger stages of development

Etymology: Juvenilize is a plain formation: "juvenile" (from Latin "juvenilis," meaning youthful, from "juvenis," young person) with the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make or cause to become something. Put together, the word means to make something youthful, or to cause it to take on the qualities of youth. The verb is built on the same base as "juvenile," so the two words share a root but differ in function. "Juvenile" describes what is young or immature, while "juvenilize" describes the act of bringing about that condition. The suffix "-ize" is the same one found in verbs such as "modernize" and "civilize," a pattern that lets English turn an adjective into an action.

Synonyms: rejuvenate, revitalize, renew, refresh

Antonyms: age, mature, senesce