externalize
Meaning
to express feelings, especially problems, so that they can be seen and dealt with
to give external existence or concrete form to something abstract
Structure
Usage
art can be a way to externalize complex emotions.
the company decided to externalize its customer service department to a specialist firm.
children often externalize their anxiety through disruptive behavior.
Etymology
the word 'externalize' is built upon the latin adjective externus, meaning "outward, on the outside," which itself derives from the comparative form exter (outer) of the preposition ex (out of). the suffix -ize, of greek origin, was productively adopted into latin and later english to form verbs meaning "to render or make." therefore, the literal morphemic construction means "to make outward." this evolved from the concrete sense of placing something outside to the modern psychological and abstract meanings: to give tangible form to an internal thought or feeling, or to project an internal state onto the external world.
Analysis
- ex: latin origin, a prefix meaning "out of, from, beyond". - tern: from latin externus (external, outward), itself from exter (on the outside, outward). the 'n' is part of the latin adjectival suffix. - ize: greek origin via latin and french, a verb-forming suffix meaning "to make, to become, to treat in a specific way".