Legalize

Legalize

Verb · /ˈliː.ɡə.laɪz/

Definition

To make something lawful or legal that was previously prohibited; to bring something within the framework of the law by legislative action.

Origin

From legal (from Latin legalis, from lex, legis — law) + -ize (a suffix forming verbs meaning to make or to cause to become, from Greek -izein). The -ize suffix is productive in English for creating verbs from adjectives: legalise, modernise, centralise. British English typically spells this -ise; American English -ize. Used in English from the 18th century.