Regularizations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of making something regular or standardized in order to conform to specific rules or systems
2. The act of adjusting or altering practices to achieve compliance with established norms or regulations
3. A method of establishing consistency and order by formalizing procedures or guidelines within a certain context

Etymology: "Regularizations" is the plural of "regularization," a noun for the processes of making things uniform. The base word "regular" comes into English from Anglo-Norman and Middle English "reguler," which descends from Latin "rēgulāris," derived from "rēgula," meaning "rule" or "straight stick," a tool for keeping lines straight. The sense of conforming to a rule was there from the start, so the word has always been about measured order. The suffix does most of the work in the noun. "-ize" traces back through Middle French and Late Latin to Ancient Greek "-ízein," a verb-forming ending, and was adopted into English to build verbs such as "regularize," meaning to make regular. "-ation" comes from Latin "-ātiō" by way of Old French, where it formed nouns of action or process. Joining "regular," "-ize," and "-ation" gives "regularization," the act or result of making something regular, and the plural form counts separate instances of that process.