Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To grant citizenship to a foreign-born person: The legal process by which a non-citizen becomes a citizen of a new country.
   • To introduce and acclimatize (an animal or plant) to a region where it is not native: To establish a species in a new environment so that it thrives as if native.
   • To make more natural or lifelike: To alter something to appear less artificial or more in accordance with nature.
   • To adapt or adopt (a foreign word, custom, or practice) into common use: To incorporate something from another culture or language so fully that it seems indigenous.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To become naturalized: To undergo the process of becoming a citizen or of becoming established in a new environment.

Usage and Examples

• Granting Citizenship:

  • The government agreed to naturalise the refugees after a five-year residency.
  • She was born abroad but was naturalised as a citizen last year.

• Introducing Plants/Animals:

  • Early settlers worked to naturalise European grasses on the plains.
  • This orchid species has been successfully naturalised in English gardens.

• Making Something Natural:

  • The landscape architect's goal was to naturalise the manicured park.
  • He tried to naturalise his accent to fit in better.

• Adopting Foreign Elements:

  • English has naturalised countless words from French and Latin.
  • The festival tradition was naturalised into the local culture over centuries.

Advanced Usage

• In Ecology: Refers to a non-native species that sustains itself in the wild without human intervention.

  • The rabbit, introduced in the 19th century, is now a fully naturalised species here.

• In Linguistics: Describes the process where a borrowed word conforms to the phonological and grammatical rules of the adopting language.

  • The word "café" has been naturalised in English, often spelled without the accent.

Variants and Related Words

• Naturalisation (noun): The process or result of being naturalised.
  • He applied for British naturalisation.
• Naturalised (adjective): Describing something that has undergone this process.
  • A naturalised citizen; a naturalised plant.

Synonyms

• Acclimatize (for plants/animals): To adapt to a new climate or environment.
• Assimilate: To absorb and integrate into a culture or system.
• Acculturate: To adopt the cultural traits of another group.
• Domesticate: To tame (an animal) or adapt (a plant) for human use.

Phrasal Verbs / Common Collocations

• To become naturalised: The intransitive form focusing on the subject's change.
  • Over time, these customs became naturalised and are now considered traditional.
• Naturalise as: To become a citizen of a specific country.
  • He naturalised as an Australian citizen.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• (To be) a naturalised citizen: The standard term for someone who has acquired citizenship by legal means, rather than by birth.
  • She is a naturalised citizen who proudly votes in every election.

Verb

1. adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment
   • domesticate oats
   • tame the soil
2. make into a citizen
   • The French family was naturalized last year
3. make more natural or lifelike
4. adopt to another place
   • The stories had become naturalized into an American setting