grammaticalize
[ gruh-mat-i-kuh-lahyz ]
/ grəˈmæt ɪ kəˌlaɪz /
verb (used with object), gram·mat·i·cal·ized, gram·mat·i·cal·iz·ing. Linguistics.
to convert (a content word or part of one) into a functor, as in using OE līc, “body,” as a suffix in adjectives and adverbs, such as OE frēondlīc, “friendly.”
to represent (semantic features) by grammatical categories, as plurality in English or gender in French.
Also
especially British,
gra·mat·i·cal·ise.
Origin of grammaticalize
First recorded in 1935–40;
grammatical +
-ize
OTHER WORDS FROM grammaticalize
gram·mat·i·cal·i·za·tion, nounWords nearby grammaticalize
grammarian,
grammatical,
grammatical gender,
grammatical meaning,
grammaticality,
grammaticalize,
grammaticism,
grammatology,
gramme,
grammy,
gramont