cheshirization

che·shir·i·zat·ion
C3H4E1S1H4I1R1I1Z10A1T1I1O1N1
US, UK/ˌt͡ʃɛʃəɹaɪˈzeɪʃən/US, UK/-ɹə-/US, UK/-ɹɪ-/

noun

Synonym of transphonologization (“a type of sound change whereby a phonemic contrast that used to involve a certain feature evolves in such a way that the contrast is preserved, yet becomes associated with a different feature”).

Similar
rephonologizationtransphonologization
First used 1991Scrabble 31
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Meanings

cheshirization1

nouncheshirization (uncountable)

alternative cheshirisation · alternative Cheshirisation · alternative Cheshirization

  1. BritishEnglishOxfordUSrareuncountablehuman sciencesSynonym of transphonologization (“a type of sound change whereby a phonemic contrast that used to involve a certain feature evolves in such a way that the contrast is preserved, yet becomes associated with a different feature”).First known use 1991

    For example, Mandarin uses the suffix ɚ < ér 兒 'son' while Cantonese employs tone sandhi, changing the citation tone to high rising tone, the cheshirization of an earlier segmental morpheme meaning 'son'.

    2006, Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, Robert M. W. Dixon, Areal Diffusion and Genetic Inheritance, →ISBN, page 344

    Synonyms: rephonologization, transphonologization

Cheshirization2

nounCheshirization (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAlternative letter-case form of cheshirization.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of transphonologization (“a type of sound change whereby a phonemic contrast that used to involve a certain feature evolves in such a way that the contrast is preserved, yet becomes associated with a different feature”).

Similar
rephonologizationtransphonologization
Also see
rephonologizationtransphonologization

Origin

From Cheshire (cat) (“fictional cat which disappeared leaving only its smile, from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by the English author Lewis Carroll (1832–1898)”) + -ization (suffix forming nouns denoting the act, process, or result of doing or making something), coined by the American linguist James Matisoff (born 1937) in a 1991 book chapter entitled “Areal and Universal Dimensions of Grammatization in Lahu”.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with cheshirization

informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

cheshirization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheshirization

MLA

“cheshirization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheshirization. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cheshirization,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheshirization.

Source: cheshirization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.