'lyricise' originates from English, formed from the word 'lyric' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ise' (from French '-iser'), where 'lyric' ultimately derives from Greek 'lyrikos' and '-ise' meant 'to make or cause to be'.

'lyric' entered English via Old French 'lirique' and Latin 'lyricus' from Greek 'lyrikos' ('relating to the lyre'); the verb-forming suffix came from French ('-iser'/'-ise'), producing an English formation 'lyricise'.

Initially 'lyrikos' meant 'relating to the lyre' (i.e., songlike); over time the sense broadened to 'expressing personal emotion in a songlike or poetic way', and 'lyricise' developed to mean 'to make something lyrical' or 'to set as lyrics'.