naturalize
/'nætʃrəlaiz/ Cách viết khác : (naturalise) /'nætʃrəlaiz/
Definition
Verb (transitive):
- To grant citizenship to a foreign-born person: The legal process by which a non-citizen becomes a citizen of a new country.
- To introduce and acclimatize (an animal or plant) to a region where it is not native: To cause a species to become established and thrive in a new environment.
- To adopt (a foreign word, custom, or practice) into common use: To make something foreign seem native or familiar within a different culture or language.
- To explain or interpret a phenomenon by natural causes or laws, as opposed to supernatural ones.
Verb (intransitive):
- To become established as if native: To become acclimatized and thrive in a new environment (used for plants, animals, or customs).
- To study natural history.
Usage and Examples
Transitive Verb (Grant Citizenship):
- After living here for ten years, she decided to naturalize and become a citizen.
- The government will naturalize the refugees who meet all the legal requirements.
Transitive Verb (Acclimatize Plants/Animals):
- Botanists worked to naturalize the tropical flower in the temperate climate.
- This species of bird was naturalized in North America in the 19th century.
Transitive Verb (Adopt Foreign Elements):
- English has naturalized thousands of words from French and Latin.
- The festival was naturalized into the local culture, losing its original foreign context.
Intransitive Verb:
- Dandelions, originally from Europe, have naturalized all over North America.
- The custom slowly naturalized and is now considered a local tradition.
Advanced Usage
In a legal/political context: The term is formal and refers to the official legal process ending in citizenship.
- He completed the application to naturalize.
In ecology/botany: Often used in the passive voice to describe the successful establishment of a non-native species.
- The plant is now fully naturalized and even considered invasive in some areas.
In linguistics/cultural studies: Describes the process of assimilation where a foreign element loses its perceived foreignness.
- The phrase has been completely naturalized; most speakers don't know its foreign origin.
Variants and Related Words
- Naturalization (noun): The process of becoming naturalized.
- She celebrated her naturalization ceremony.
- Naturalized (adjective): Having undergone naturalization.
- He is a naturalized citizen. / It is a naturalized species.
- Natural (adjective): Existing in or derived from nature; not artificial. (The root word).
- Denaturalize (verb): To deprive of citizenship or to cause to become unnatural.
Synonyms
- Acclimatize (for plants/animals)
- Assimilate (for customs/words)
- Acculturate (for customs)
- Enfranchise (formal, for granting citizenship)
Antonyms
- Alienate
- Expatriate (to banish or withdraw citizenship)
- Extirpate (to remove a species)
Related Phrases and Usage Notes
- "Become naturalized": A common phrase emphasizing the process from an intransitive perspective.
- The idea became naturalized over several generations.
- The spelling naturalise is used in British English. Naturalize is the American English spelling.
Verb
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adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment
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domesticate oats
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tame the soil
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make more natural or lifelike
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adopt to another place
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The stories had become naturalized into an American setting
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explain with reference to nature
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make into a citizen
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The French family was naturalized last year
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