asexualizing
|a-sex-u-al-iz-ing|
🇺🇸
/eɪˈsɛkʃəˌlaɪz/
🇬🇧
/eɪˈsɛkʃ(ə)laɪz/
(asexualize)
making non-sexual; removing sexual characteristics
Etymology
'asexualize' originates from modern English, built from the prefix 'a-' (meaning 'not') + 'sexualize' where 'sexualize' is formed from 'sexual' + the verb-forming suffix '-ize'.
'sexual' derives from Latin 'sexus' meaning 'sex', and 'sexualize' developed in English by adding '-ize' to 'sexual'; the negating prefix 'a-' (from Greek a-, privative) was later attached to form 'asexualize'.
Initially, components meant 'not' (a-) and 'relating to sex' (sexual); over time the combined verb came to mean 'to make or render without sexual characteristics' or 'to cause asexual reproduction' in specific contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or process of making something asexual; the state resulting from making something asexual (gerund use).
The asexualizing of certain characters in the adaptation sparked debate among fans.
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Verb 1
present participle of 'asexualize': to make asexual, to remove or suppress sexual characteristics, identity, or sexual appeal.
Critics argued that the movie was asexualizing its female characters to appeal to a broader audience.
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Verb 2
to cause an organism or a population to reproduce asexually (biology): to induce or convert to asexual reproduction.
In lab conditions, scientists succeeded in asexualizing the strain to study clonal propagation.
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Last updated: 2025/10/27 21:44