The word 'verbalize' is built upon the Latin foundation verbum, meaning "word," which itself traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root werh₁-, signifying "to speak" or "to say." The suffix -al attaches to create the adjective 'verbal,' meaning "relating to words." Finally, the productive suffix -ize, borrowed from Greek via Latin, is added to form a verb meaning "to make into" or "to render." Thus, the literal construction "to make into words" elegantly captures the modern abstract meaning of expressing thoughts or feelings through language.

Structure: verb (word) + al (relating to) + ize (to make) - verb: From Latin verbum (word). The core lexical root. - al: A suffix of Latin origin (-alis), forming adjectives meaning "relating to" or "of the kind of". - ize: A verb-forming suffix of Greek origin (-izein via Latin -izare), meaning "to render, to make, to become".