polonize

transitive verb

po·​lo·​nize
ˈpōləˌnīz
-ed/-ing/-s
often capitalized
1
: to cause to acquire Polish customs or attitudes
especially : to force into conformity with Polish cultural patterns or governmental policies
German cities assigned to Poland have been polonized M. A. Pei
the Polish clergy … use their influence to polonize the people Russian Poland
2
: to modify (a word or expression) to conform to characteristics distinctive of Polish
difficult … to polonize English termsB. W. A. Massey

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary polon-, (from Medieval Latin Polonia Poland) + -ize

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Dictionary Entries Near polonize

Cite this Entry

“Polonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polonize. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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