Etymology

illegalize

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Today it means: To make illegal; to prohibit by law, to criminalize. Full definition →

First used 19th c.
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The story

From illegal + -ize or il- + legalize.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. To make illegal; to prohibit by law, to criminalize.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.