politicize
UK[pəˈlɪtɪsaɪz]US[pəˈlɪtɪsaɪz]
v
to make a subject or an issue political, or to become political, often by connecting it to party politics or ideological debate.
v
to cause someone to become politically aware or active.
Morpheme Breakdown
politic
ize
politic
political
ize
to make
Etymology
the word 'politicize' is a modern formation built upon the older adjective 'politic', which traces its lineage to the greek 'politikos', meaning "of, for, or relating to citizens". this greek term itself derives from 'polites' (citizen) and 'polis' (city-state). the suffix '-ize', a prolific verb-maker in english, was borrowed from the greek infinitive ending '-izein', which denotes causing an action or state. therefore, the literal construction "to make political" perfectly captures the modern abstract meaning: the act of injecting political character or partisan debate into a subject, person, or sphere that may not have been explicitly so before.
Analysis
Structure: politic (political) + ize (to make)
politic (from latin 'politicus', from greek 'politikos', meaning "of citizens or the state"; functions as the core adjective root). ize (a verb-forming suffix from greek '-izein' via latin '-izare' and old french '-iser', meaning "to render, to make, to become").
Examples
activists worry that the disaster relief efforts will become politicized.
the debate has politicized a generation of young voters.
some argue it is irresponsible to politicize scientific research.