Dictionary

romanize en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈɹoʊ.məˌnaɪz/ (Canada, General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɹəʊ.mə.naɪz/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree English Roman Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English romanize From Roman + -ize.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To put letters or words written in another writing system into the Latin (Roman) alphabet.
   • A new system has been invented by which Chinese can be written in our letters as pronounced. This is called by the rather uncouth name of “Romanised.” 1912, Lord William Gascoyne-Cecil, chapter 10, in Changing China,, New York: D. Appleton, page 132:
   • The author romanizes Chinese names using the Wade–Giles system rather than the Pinyin system.
   • Some of the Chinese students had difficulty comprehending the need to Romanize the Chinese etymons. 2015, James Lambert, “Lexicography as a teaching tool: A Hong Kong case study”, in Lan Li, Jamie McKeown, Liming Liu, editors, Dictionaries and corpora: Innovations in reference science. Proceedings of ASIALEX 2015 Hong Kong, Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, page 147:
2. (capitalized, historical, transitive, usually) To bring under the authority or influence of Rome.
   • But since this custome was probably disused before their Invasion or Conquest, and the Romanes confessedly practised the same, since their possession of this Island, the most assured account will fall upon the Romanes, or Brittains Romanized. 1658, Thomas Browne, chapter 2, in Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial, London: Hen. Brome, page 28:
3. (ambitransitive, capitalized, usually) To make or become Roman in character or style.
   • […] perhaps he has Romaniz’d his Grecian Dames too much, and made them speak sometimes as if they had been born in the City of Rome, and under the Empire of Augustus. 1680, John Dryden, Ovid’s Epistles translated by several hands, London: Jacob Tonson, Preface:
   • Long before this period, it [London] was fully romanized, and the customs, manners, buildings, and arts of the conqueror adopted. 1790, Thomas Pennant, Of London, London: Robt. Faulder, page 8:
4. (ambitransitive, capitalized, usually) To make or become Roman Catholic in religion (by conversion), character or style.
   • […] the more primitive times of Protestantism were more leaning to that which Romanizing spirits have called Puritanism. 1661, John Corbet, The Interest of England in the Matter of Religion, London: George Thomason, Section 11, p. 50:
5. (obsolete, transitive) To fill with Latin words or idioms.
   • perhaps too, he [Ben Jonson] did a little to much Romanize our Tongue, leaving the words which he translated almost as much Latine as he found them: wherein though he learnedly followed the Idiom of their language, he did not enough comply with ours. 1668, John Dryden, Of Dramatick Poesie, London: Henry Herringman, page 50:

Forms

Deriveds

misromanize · mis-romanize · Romanization · romanization

Synonyms

Latinize · Latinize · transliterate · Latinize

Translations (42)

fr romaniser (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · it romanizzare (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · ja ラテン文字化する (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · pl romanizować (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · cmn 拉丁化 (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · pl zromanizować (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · fr latiniser (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · es latinizar (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · de romanisieren (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · de romanisieren (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · ms perumian (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · bg романизирам (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · ar كَرْشَنَ (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · nl transcriberen (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · ca llatinitzar (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · vi La Mã hóa (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · ja ローマ字化する (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · ro romaniza (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · km ធ្វើរ៉ូមនីយកម្ម (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · ca llatinitzar (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · pt romanizar (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · nl romaniseren (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · vi Latinh hóa (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · ar رَوْمَنَ (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · cmn 羅馬化 /罗马化 (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · fi roomalaistaa (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · vi Latinh hoá (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · sv romanisera (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · ar نَقْحَرَ (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · ru латинизи́ровать (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · es romanizar (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · de latinisieren (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · fi latinaistaa (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · bg латинизирам (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · pt latinizar (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · vi Latinh hóa (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · pl latynizować (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · ru романизи́ровать (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · pl zlatynizować (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · ca romanitzar (to bring under authority or influence of Rome) · cmn 用羅馬字拚寫 /用罗马字拚写 (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet) · ca romanitzar (to put letters or words into the Latin alphabet)