'babylonize' is formed in English by attaching the suffix '-ize' (from Greek/Late Latin via Old French) to 'Babylon' (the proper name) to create a verb meaning 'make like Babylon' or 'cause to become as in Babylon'.

'Babylon' itself originates from Akkadian 'Bāb-ilim' or 'Bāb-ilu' (written in Akkadian and later in Greek/Latin as 'Babylōn'), meaning 'gate of God' or 'gate of the gods'. The verbal formation 'babylonize' developed in English through the productive use of '-ize' to form verbs from nouns during the modern period, yielding the sense of rendering something 'Babylon-like' or causing confusion similar to the biblical tale of Babel.

Originally referring to the ancient city named 'Babylon' (literally 'gate of the gods'), the derived verb came to mean 'to cause confusion (especially of languages)' or more generally 'to corrupt or make chaotic', drawing on the biblical story of the confusion of tongues.