Urbanize
/ˈɜːr.bə.naɪz/noun
To make more urban, or to cause people or areas to adopt urban characteristics.
Did you know?The Latin root urbs meant “city,” but its deeper origin is uncertain, so claims connecting it confidently to a specific occult or magical root are speculative.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
urbs
“City; especially a city understood as an organized civic settlement, often Rome.”
Classical Latin
Latin
urbanus
“Of or belonging to the city; refined or city-dwelling.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
urbanizare
“To make urban or city-like; a later formation based on urbanus.”
16th Century
French
urbaniser
“To make urban; to give an urban character.”
19th Century
English
urbanize
“To make urban or transform into an urban area.”
Modern English
English
urbanize
“To develop land, communities, or society in an urban direction.”