legalize

the word legalize is a modern english formation built upon the established adjective legal. the root legal traces back to latin 'lex, legis' meaning law, which itself may derive from the pie root leg- meaning to collect or gather, linking the concept of law to things that are gathered or laid down. the suffix ize, entering english via old french and latin from greek, is a prolific verb creator meaning to render or make. therefore, the literal construction of legalize is to make something pertain to the law, which directly and logically evolved into its current meaning of granting something official legal status.

Structure: legal (law) + ize (to make) legal (from latin 'legalis', meaning 'of the law', acting as the root conveying the core concept); ize (from greek '-izein' via latin '-izare', a verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make, to become, to cause to be', acting as a derivational suffix).