'barbarize' originates from Late Latin or French forms (e.g. French 'barbariser' or Late Latin 'barbarizare'), ultimately from Greek 'barbarizein', where 'barbar-' (from 'barbaros') meant 'foreign' or 'nonsensical'.

'barbarize' changed from Late Latin/French words like 'barbarizare'/'barbariser' and traces back to Greek 'barbarizein'; through Middle French and Early Modern English it became the modern English verb 'barbarize'.

Initially, it meant 'to make foreign or to treat as a foreign/savage thing'; over time it evolved to the current sense of 'to make barbarous, crude, or to corrupt/debase (especially language or culture)'.