latinize

Latinize is a verb meaning to render something in Latin or to adapt it to Latin language conventions. The term can refer to transliterating a word into Latin script or, more often, shaping a non-Latin word to conform with Latin phonology, morphology, and grammar. In scholarly contexts it is used to describe the process of giving a Latin form to names, terms, or texts so they can appear in Latin writings or inscriptions. The noun form is Latinization.

Etymology and scope: the word combines the Latin adjective Latinus, meaning Latin, with the English suffix -ize. It is used across linguistics, onomastics, and philology to indicate a deliberate transformation into a Latin form rather than a mere transcription of letters.

Uses and examples: in linguistics, to Latinize a foreign proper name or term to fit Latin declension and inflection, for example rendering a non-Latin name into a classical Latin form such as Ioannes for John. In onomastics and historical scholarship, Latinization provides Latin variants of non-Latin names or places for inclusion in Latin texts. In taxonomy and scientific nomenclature, many names are Latinized to conform to the conventions of Latin grammar, producing standardized binomials and epithets.

Relation to related concepts: Latinization is distinct from romanization, which concerns transliteration or transcription of scripts into the Latin alphabet rather than adaptation to Latin grammar and morphology.