ABSTRACT
The practice of adding -ise/-ize to a noun or adjective to form a verb is well established:
brutalise hospitalise legalise transistorise
The -ise/-ize ending is Greek in origin but it is not restricted to words of Greek origin:
computerise<Latin computare (count) idolise<Greek eidolon (phantom) mesmerise<Dr F.A.Mesmer
A number of purists have objected to some -ise/-ize verbs because they duplicate the meanings of other verbs:
finalise=conclude, end, settle
or because they are associated with jargon:
politicise
The form -ise is widely used in the UK whereas -ize is preferred in the USA, but there is a growing tendency to prefer the -ize ending even in the UK, except for such verbs as:
See: spelling.
