'balkanize' originates from English, specifically from the proper name 'Balkan' (from Turkish 'Balkan'), where 'Balkan' meant 'a chain of wooded mountains'.

'balkanize' developed in English in the early 20th century from references to the 'Balkan' region; the proper noun 'Balkan' (Turkish 'Balkan') was extended into a verb meaning 'to break up into small, often hostile states or parts'.

Initially it referred specifically to dividing the Balkan Peninsula into smaller states; over time it evolved to mean 'to fragment any region, organization, or system into smaller, often hostile, parts'.