Civilize
/ˈsɪv.əl.aɪz/noun
To bring a person or place under the customs, institutions, or standards of a society considered advanced.
Did you know?Civilize comes through French from Latin civis, meaning “citizen,” so the word originally had more to do with belonging to a city-state than with moral superiority.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kei-
“to lie down; to settle, dwell”
Latin
Latin
civis
“citizen; member of a community”
Latin
Latin
civilis
“of citizens; polite, public, communal”
Old French
Old French
civiliser
“to make civilized; to bring under civil order”
16th Century
English
civilize
“to make civil or bring under orderly social life”
Modern English
English
civilize
“to bring to a perceived higher level of social development”