Dictionary

massify en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈmæ.sɪ.faɪ/

Etymology

Etymology tree English mass Latin -i- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *θakos Proto-Italic *-fakos Latin -ficus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -ficō Latin -ificāreder. Old French -ifierbor. Middle English -ifien English -ify English massify From mass + -ify.

Meanings

1. (intransitive, transitive) To become, or cause to become, oriented toward mass production, mass consumption, and high throughput rather than individuality.
2. (rare, transitive) To use as a mass noun.
   • 1992, James F. Allen and Lenhart K. Schubert, “Language and Discourse in the TRAINS Project”, in Andrew Ortony, John Slack, and Oliviero Stock (editors), Communication From an Artificial Intelligence Perspective: Theoretical and Applied Issues, NATO ASI Series F: Computer and Systems Sciences, Volume 100, Springer, →ISBN, page 104, Under deviant vocabulary we include “verbing” of nouns (He tricycled away), and perhaps “massifying” of count nouns and “countifying” of mass nouns. (Note that the preceding sentence itself contains instances of deviant vocabulary in scare quotes.) “Massifying” and “countifying” are illustrated respectively by A year ago they started digging the hole for his house; A year later, there's still more hole than house; and How many orange juice will that give us?.

Forms

Deriveds

massification · massifier · demassify

Relateds

countify

Translations (3)

pt massificar (become oriented towards mass production) · es masificar (become oriented towards mass production) · fr massifier (become oriented towards mass production)