Occidentalization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of transforming a society by incorporating influences from the West illustrates the adoption of Western cultural elements, values, and societal practices
2. A phenomenon characterized by the assimilation of Western ideas, customs, and behavior into non-Western contexts highlights the integration of Western culture
3. The process of adopting Western practices and philosophies by non-Western societies reflects the influence of Western culture on local traditions and customs

Etymology: "Occidentalization" is built from "occidental," which comes from Latin "occidentalis," meaning "western," from "occidens," the setting sun or the west, the direction where the sun goes down. The Latin root is "occidere," "to fall" or "to set," a verb that also gave English "occident," the Western world as opposed to the "orient," the East, from Latin "oriens," "rising" (the sun's rising). The pair of words thus encodes the sun's daily motion: one direction where it rises, one where it sinks. The suffix "-ize" comes from Greek "-izein," used to form verbs meaning "to make into" or "to cause to become," and "-ation" from Latin "-atio" turns the verb into a noun for the process. Put together, "occidentalization" names the process of making something Western in character, or of bringing Western influence to bear on a place or culture. Its form is a deliberate pattern in English, built on the older pairing of "occident" and "orient."

Synonyms: westernization