'exoticize' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the adjective 'exotic' plus the productive verb-forming suffix '-ize' (which makes verbs meaning 'to make or become'). 'Exotic' itself ultimately comes from Greek.

'exotic' entered English via French 'exotique' and Medieval/Neo-Latin 'exoticus', which came from Greek 'exōtikos' (from 'exō' meaning 'outside'). The English verb 'exoticize' was later formed by adding '-ize' to 'exotic'.

Originally the root meant 'from outside' or 'external/foreign'; over time the modern verb 'exoticize' came to mean 'to make something seem foreign or unusually striking', often with an implication of stylizing or stereotyping.