romanising
|ro-ma-ni-sing|
🇺🇸
/ˈroʊmənaɪz/
🇬🇧
/ˈrəʊmənaɪz/
(romanise)
convert into Roman (Latin) letters
Etymology
'romanise' originates from French, specifically the word 'romaniser', where 'roman' meant 'Romance/Roman' (pertaining to Rome or the Romance languages) and the suffix '-iser' meant 'to make or to render'.
'romanise' changed from Old French 'romaniser' and Medieval Latin 'romanizare' (from Latin 'romanus') and eventually became the modern English verb 'romanise' (with US variant 'romanize').
Initially, it meant 'to render into a Romance or Roman form', and over time it evolved into the current primary meaning 'to convert non-Latin scripts into Latin (Roman) letters'; the stylistic sense ('make Roman in style') remains as a secondary meaning.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to convert text from another writing system into the Latin (Roman) alphabet; to render in Roman letters (transliterate).
Romanising Japanese addresses makes them easier for non-Japanese speakers to read.
Synonyms
Verb 2
to make something have Roman characteristics or style — to give a Roman or classical aspect (e.g., architecture, customs).
The architect was criticized for romanising the historical building's facade.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/29 09:05