Romanises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To convert written language from a non-Latin script into Latin letters; to adopt or impose Latin culture or characteristics; to render text in a form accessible to those familiar with the Roman alphabet
2. To transcribe characters from a different writing system into the Latin alphabet; to influence to become Roman in style or culture; to express words in Roman letters for ease of reading
3. The act of transforming letters from native scripts into Latin letters; the process of assimilating into Roman ways or customs; to show language elements in Romanized script for comprehension by Latin readers

Etymology: "Romanises" is the third-person singular present form of the verb "romanise", so its history is that of the verb itself. "Romanise" is the British spelling of "romanize", built from "Roman" and the verbal suffix "-ise" (or "-ize"), a pattern used to turn nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make or make like." To romanise something is therefore, at root, to make it Roman. The verb has grown beyond its literal sense. Alongside the older meaning of spreading Roman culture, language or law through a territory, it came to describe the transliteration of non-Latin scripts such as Cyrillic, Arabic or Chinese into Latin letters. Both senses trace back to the same idea: bringing something into the form and framework of the Roman alphabet or civilisation.

Synonyms: romanizes, latinizes, anglicizes, transliterates, transcribes

Antonyms: INVALID