Romanize

[ roh-muh-nahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, Ro·man·ized, Ro·man·iz·ing.

1. to make Roman Catholic.
2. (often lowercase) to make Roman in character.
3. (often lowercase) to render in the Latin alphabet, especially a language traditionally written in a different system, as Chinese or Japanese.

verb (used without object)

, Ro·man·ized, Ro·man·iz·ing.

1. to conform to Roman Catholic doctrine and practices; to become Roman Catholic.
2. (often lowercase) to follow Roman practices.

Romanize

/ ˈrəʊməˌnaɪz /

verb

1. tr to impart a Roman Catholic character to (a ceremony, practice, etc)
2. intr to be converted to Roman Catholicism
3. tr to transcribe or transliterate (a language) into the Roman alphabet
4. to make Roman in character, allegiance, style, etc

Derived Forms

• ˌRomaniˈzation, noun

Other Words From

• Roman·i·zation noun
• Roman·izer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Romanize¹

First recorded in 1600–10; Roman + -ize

Example Sentences

Korean rice cakes, Romanized as tteok, are a staple ingredient in the country’s cuisine.

From Washington Post

“The Presbyterians not only succeeded in Romanizing the spoken Taiwanese language but also provided services such as education and healthcare that other churches did not provide,” she said.

From Seattle Times

Brands that are neither translated nor Romanized nor transliterated from another language, and which may contain words, or names, that do not seem to refer to the products they sell.

From Seattle Times

Italian politicians still whisper that they hope that the wild populists governing the country will be Romanized by the conformist establishment.

From New York Times

Zhou Youguang created the Pinyin system of Romanized Chinese, which vastly increased literacy in China and eased the agonies of foreigners studying the language.

From Seattle Times