'romanize' originates from English formation combining 'Roman' + the productive suffix '-ize' (from French/Latin/Greek influence), where 'Roman' referred to 'of Rome'.

'Roman' comes from Latin 'Romanus' meaning 'of Rome'; the verb formation '-ize' comes via Old French/Latin and Greek '-izein' → Middle English formations, producing the modern English verb 'romanize' from the 18th–19th century usage of creating verbs meaning 'make X'.

Initially based on the adjective 'Roman' meaning 'of Rome' and the verb-forming suffix '-ize' to mean 'make Roman'; over time the primary specialized meaning became 'convert into Roman (Latin) letters' (i.e., transliterate).