penalise
UK[ˈpiːnəlaɪz]US[ˈpiːnəlaɪz]
v
To impose a penalty or punishment on someone for breaking a rule or law.
v
To put someone at a disadvantage, especially in a sports match, as a punishment for an infringement.
Morpheme Breakdown
penal
ise
penal
punishment
ise
verb suffix
Etymology
The word 'penalise' is built upon the Latin foundation poena, meaning "penalty" or "punishment," which itself was borrowed from Ancient Greek poinē (price paid, penalty). The adjective-forming suffix -alis was added in Latin to create poenalis, pertaining to punishment. This entered English as 'penal'. The modern verb was formed by appending the productive suffix '-ise', which converts nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to subject to or treat in a specified way." Thus, the literal construction "to make penal" evolved into the abstract sense of imposing a formal disadvantage or sanction for a transgression.
Analysis
Structure: penal (punishment) + ise (verb suffix)
- 'penal': From Latin poenalis (relating to punishment), from poena (penalty, punishment). Functions as the core root conveying the meaning of punishment.
- 'ise': A verb-forming suffix, from Greek -izein via Latin -izare and French -iser. It indicates "to make, to cause to be, or to act in the manner of".
Examples
The referee decided to penalise the player for a dangerous tackle.
Companies that pollute the environment should be heavily penalised.
The new tax law will penalise those who file their returns late.