depoliticize
UK[ˌdiːpəˈlɪtɪsaɪz]US[ˌdiːpəˈlɪtɪsaɪz]
v
to remove something from the sphere or influence of politics or political control.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
politic
ize
de
remove
politic
relating to government
ize
make or become
Etymology
the word 'depoliticize' is a modern english formation built from classical components. the core 'politic' derives from the greek 'polis', meaning 'city-state', which evolved into the latin 'politicus', relating to civic affairs. the prefix 'de-', of latin origin, is attached to indicate reversal or removal, a productive pattern in english (e.g., declassify, demilitarize). finally, the suffix '-ize', also of greek lineage via latin, is the standard marker for forming verbs meaning 'to render or make so'. thus, the literal morpheme logic 'to remove from the condition of being political' maps directly onto the modern abstract meaning of insulating a subject from partisan governance or control.
Analysis
Structure: de (remove) + politic (relating to government) + ize (make or become)
de: a latin prefix meaning 'down from, off, away', here used in its reversative sense of 'removing' or 'reversing'.
politic: from latin 'politicus' (of citizens or the state), via greek 'politikos' (of citizens). it is a direct substring of the english word 'political'.
ize: a verb-forming suffix from greek '-izein', via latin '-izare', meaning 'to make, to become, to cause to be'.
Examples
the government sought to depoliticize the civil service by establishing an independent appointments commission.
many argue that key judicial decisions should be depoliticized to ensure impartiality.
the committee's role is to depoliticize the issue and focus on the technical data.