Militarize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈmɪ.lɪ.tə.ɹaɪz/

Definitions

1. To equip or supply with military forces and equipment for combat ; to organize a community or nation to support military efforts or defense
2. To provide weapons and troops to an entity for warfare ; to arrange social, economic, or political structures to enable readiness for war
3. To make something suitable for armed conflict by adding military resources ; to prepare a population or system to function under military control or influence

Etymology: The verb "militarize" is a plain English construction: "military" plus the suffix "-ize", which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make into or treat as." The suffix has a long journey behind it. It began in ancient Greek as "-izein", passed into Late Latin as "-izare", reached English through Middle French "-iser" and Middle English "-isen", and settled into the modern "-ize" form. So every verb ending in "-ize" carries a Greek grammatical tool in its ending. The base word "military" traces back to Latin "militaris", from "miles", meaning soldier, which also gave English words such as "militant" and "militia." The combination with "-ize" produced a verb that sounds like a formal, almost bureaucratic term, which suits its modern use. It covers two related ideas: supplying an entity with weapons and troops for war, and reshaping a society's economy, politics, and institutions so that it can fight. The second sense in particular explains why the word appears so often in discussions of national policy, where a country's ordinary structures are gradually redirected toward preparing for conflict.

Synonyms: arm, equip, fortify, prepare, mobilize

Antonyms: demilitarize, disarm, dismantle, decommission, reduce