liberalized
UK[ˈlɪbərəlaɪzd]US[ˈlɪbərəlaɪzd]
v
made (laws or systems) less strict, allowing more freedom
v
removed restrictions on (something, especially an economic activity)
Morpheme Breakdown
liber
al
ized
liber
free
al
adjective suffix
ized
verb suffix
Etymology
the word 'liberalized' is built upon the latin root 'liber', meaning free. this root is foundational to a family of words concerning liberty and freedom. the adjective-forming suffix '-al' was added to create 'liberal', meaning 'pertaining to or characteristic of freedom'. the modern verb was then formed by appending '-ize', a suffix meaning 'to render or make', and the past tense '-ed', resulting in the meaning 'to have made something free or less restricted'. this etymological journey traces a clear conceptual line from the ancient notion of personal freedom to the contemporary economic and political sense of removing constraints.
Analysis
Structure: liber (free) + al (adjective suffix) + ized (verb suffix)
liber is from latin 'liber', meaning 'free'. al is a latin-derived suffix forming adjectives meaning 'of or pertaining to'. ized is a verb-forming suffix from greek '-izein', via latin and french, meaning 'to make or become'.
Examples
the government liberalized trade policies to encourage international investment.
in the 1980s, several industries were liberalized to stimulate competition.
the telecommunications sector was fully liberalized last year.