medicalized
|med-i-ca-lized|
🇺🇸
/ˈmɛdɪsəˌlaɪzd/
🇬🇧
/ˈmɛdɪsɪˌlaɪzd/
(medicalize)
make medical
Etymology
'medicalize' originates from Modern English formation using the adjective 'medical' + the suffix '-ize', where 'medical' comes from Latin 'medicus' meaning 'physician' and '-ize' means 'to make or to render'.
'medical' entered English via Old French and Latin ('medicus'); the verb-forming suffix '-ize' comes from Greek '-izein' via Latin and French verb formations, producing 'medicalize' in English (attested in the 19th century) and later the adjective/past form 'medicalized'.
Initially it meant 'to make medical' or 'to treat medically'; over time it broadened to include the figurative sense 'to define or treat a social/behavioral issue as a medical problem'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'medicalize' (to make medical; to treat or regard as a medical issue).
In the report, they medicalized the condition, recommending diagnostic tests and treatment protocols.
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Adjective 1
treated or managed by medical methods; subjected to medical care or intervention.
The patient's condition became highly medicalized after surgery, requiring frequent follow-up visits.
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Adjective 2
described, interpreted, or managed as a medical problem (often used for social or behavioral issues that are framed in medical terms).
Many aspects of childbirth have been increasingly medicalized in the last century.
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Last updated: 2026/01/06 22:31