-ize

1. To lower or reduce something unwanted or objectionable to the least amount or degree: Jim's company is striving to minimize costs as much as feasible.
2. To treat or to describe something as less important than it is: During the interview for a job, Sharon minimized her weaknesses and emphasized her strengths and experiences.

To activate, assemble for action, or to put into motion: The leader of Mike's country may have to mobilize his military forces to defend against a possible attack by another nation. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. To make new in appearance, style, or character; to update: Jessica modernized her kitchen with new paint, with a new stove and oven, and even with a microwave!
2. To improve or to adjust something in order to make it conform to present-day tastes, attitudes, or standards, or to be changed in this way: Jack's old car was modernized with new seat belts, a navigation system, and a stereo.

When Josie and Tim bought the old house they had to modernize the electrical system because it wasn't safe to use anymore.
3. To accept or to adopt to current ways, ideas, or style: The library in town has been modernized in that it not only offers books by modern authors, but it also has the newest videos, DVDs, and CDs for its customers.

1. To establish as legal tender: The European Union monetized its currency when the Euros were brought into use.
2. To coin money: The central banks of the country decided to monetize, or print banknotes, in order to make them safer from counterfeiting!
3. To convert an asset, for example, into currency that can be used to purchase goods and services: Jane monetized her estate to use as security for a loan from the bank.

1. To have complete control of an industry or service and prevent other companies or people from participating or competing in it: The firm monopolized the import of bananas so that other smaller firms didn't have a chance to sell them at all!
2. To demand or take all of something, such as someone's time, attention, or affection: Little Jimmy loved swinging in the garden and didn't let his sister swing at all and therefore he monopolized the swing completely! © ALL rights are reserved.

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To express convictions or beliefs about what is good behavior and what is bad conduct: As a reporter for the newspaper, Alice moralized in her article about the evils of alcohol, narcotics, and smoking.

1. To make something useless or powerless, especially by removing its ability to act as a threat or an obstacle: The military unit planned to neutralize or to destroy a bomb because it was threatening the people in that area.

To neutralize is to reduce the effectiveness of enemy military personnel and materiel by gunfire, bombing, or by any other means.

2. To render a substance as neither an acid nor an alkaline: In order to relieve the pain in her stomach, Susan took some sodium bicarbonate to neutralize the acidic contents in her stomach.
3. To nullify the oscillation-producing voltage feedback from the output to the input of an amplifier through tube interelectrode capacitances: To neutralize is to make electrically inactive by putting both equal positive and negative parts together.

An external feedback path is used to produce at the input a voltage that is equal in magnitude but opposite in phase to that fed back through the interelectrode capacitance.

1. To make something, or someone, conform to a standard: The chief administrator at Tom's school, Mr. Barrett, tried to normalize the school day by developing a system of in class and out of class activities.
2. To make regular or average, especially to cause someone to respond to a standard: Dr. Jones tried to normalize Janet's body temperature because it was too high caused by her flu.
3. To make a text or language regular and consistent, especially with respect to spelling or style: Using compatible dictionaries helped Kitty Hawk normalize her writing skills to meet the expectations of her editor.
4. To heat steel above a specific temperature and then to cool it in order to reduce internal stress: Helmut, the foreman at the foundry, was normalizing the steel that was to be used for the construction of the bridge.

1. In computer technology, to design a program or system so as to minimize the processing time or the cost and to maximize throughput for efficiency: Thomas wanted to optimize his laptop with better speed and memory.
2. To make transformations to a program, for example to form a program produced by a compiler or programmer, in order to make its efficiency better: The storage capacity was optimized on Sally's laptop to make it more useful for her.

1. To coordinate the structure of the various parts of something: While drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, Grace started to organize the activities of the day.

Ginny had so many records that were all mixed up, so she started to organize them according to their composers.

2. To establish or to bring into existence: The union leaders were organizing a strike demanding better wages to take place the following week.
3. To arrange for or to make plans: Tim and Jeff wanted to organize their hiking trip, so they had to make train reservations, buy hiking shoes and backpacks, and make sure that the neighbors would look after their homes during the time they were away.

1. To exclude, shun, or to banish someone from a group: After Henry made so many vulgar remarks, he was ostracized as a talk-show host on TV.
2. To avoid speaking to or associating with someone: After the critical remarks were made by the member of the committee, Janet was ostracized from the project by the group.

When a person is ostracized in the business or social world, he or she may be said to have received the "cold shoulder" and the former associates will have nothing to do with him or her.

3. Etymology: from the Greek word ostrakon, "a tile" and these tiles were used in ancient Athens as ballots for voting. When it was feared that a Greek leader had become so powerful as to endanger the liberty of the state, he could by vote of the citizens be sent into banishment for a stated time.

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Mickey Bach spelled his cartoon as ostracise which is the British spelling and not the American spelling.

1. To treat someone condescendingly and in a less than intelligent way: Mary patronized her sister by talking to her as if she were inferior or not smart at all.
2. To be a regular customer of a particular store or business: Melanie loved shopping so she patronized the local grocery shop every week!
3. To give money or other material support to someone or something, especially in the arts: Thomas loved to be involved with the local drama groups and was one of the sponsors who often patronized the theater.

1. To impose or to administer a punishment on someone: Greg was driving extremely fast in front of the school and the cop penalized him with a very expensive ticket for doing it!
2. To put at an unfavorable disadvantage: The present health care program needs to be revised because it penalizes divorced women with children!

1. To use and to pass off the ideas or writings of someone else claiming them as one's own: Many dictionaries seem to be plagiarizing the definitions of each other because so many of them have exactly the same contents and wording.
2. Etymology: from Latin plagium, "kidnapping" then it became "literally thief". © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. To make or to become any of a large group of synthetic compounds made from basic raw materials, such as coal, water, and limestone and molded by heat, pressure, etc. into a variety of forms: Many bottles have been plasticized so they can contain water, milk, and other liquids for people to buy and to use.
2. To make mouldable: While sculpturing, the artist can plasticize the material to form many artistic figures.