regularize
UK[ˈreɡjələraɪz]US[ˈreɡjələraɪz]
v
to make something regular, legal, or officially acceptable.
v
to bring something into conformity with a standard, rule, or pattern.
Morpheme Breakdown
regular
ize
regular
rule-governed
ize
to make, to become, to subject to
Etymology
the word 'regularize' is a relatively modern english formation, built upon the established adjective 'regular'. the core component, 'regular', traces back to latin 'regula', meaning a 'straight stick' or 'rule', which itself derives from the proto-indo-european root 'reg-', meaning 'to move in a straight line' or 'to direct'. this root gave rise to concepts of order, guidance, and kingship. the suffix '-ize', borrowed from greek and latin, is a productive verb-forming element in english. therefore, the literal construction 'to make according to a rule' logically evolved into the modern abstract meanings of bringing order, legality, or standardization to a system or situation.
Analysis
Structure: regular + ize
regular (from latin 'regularis', meaning 'according to rule', acting as the base meaning 'rule-governed') + ize (from greek '-izein' via latin '-izare', a verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make, to become, to subject to').
Examples
the government passed a law to regularize the status of undocumented workers.
we need to regularize the filing system so everyone can find documents easily.
the new software update will regularize the formatting across all reports.