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Is there a known term for the action of extending a noun to become a verb like term ?

I have a few examples which usually stem from a certain type of 'biz-speak' like the latest article : Grouplization

I find the act repugnant and it just never fits right with me but personal opinion asside, other examples are :

  • Operationalize
  • Recontextualize
  • Problematize
  • Languaging (????)

There are obviously some which are valid, but what is the name of the process of transforming the word into some made up 'biz-speak' ?

And is there any strict merit to the validity of the concocted word?

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    It's called "butchering the English language" and there is no merit to it. (in unrelated news, I also find the act repugnant and it doesn't sit right with me, but don't let my obvious bias distract you from my perfect answer)
    – John Clifford
    Oct 14, 2016 at 9:05
  • I think it's called verbing, but this is a pretty ugly form.
    – Mick
    Oct 14, 2016 at 9:50
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    Derivation that results in a noun may be called "nominalization" (*newspeak nominalization" in OP context). It generally involves the use of an affix (as with happy → happiness, employ → employee),
    – Graffito
    Oct 14, 2016 at 14:16
  • call it izationization (attested)
    – nebuch
    May 18, 2017 at 2:36

1 Answer 1

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However much the bastardized (1611) words formed by verbalizing (1659) nouns may be normalized (1847) by naming it, this ancient, common, and time-honored word-formation process in English has three.

One name for it is 'verbalize' (1659), another is 'verbify' (1823), and a third is 'verb' (the verb, 1928).

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    That makes perfect sense.. Thank you for your diligent solutioning..... ugh
    – Pogrindis
    Oct 14, 2016 at 10:59
  • @Pogrindis, welcome. The travesty represented by 'grouplization' is another type of bastardization altogether, where extension by analogy from 'personal' and 'personalize' fails due to the coiners' semi-literacy; if a true, legitimate formation (however disgusting, even so), the word would be 'groupagize'. Marketers always will be (by their own choice) either a bane on language or justifiable targets of hostile parody, satire and other sorts of derision, depending on your point of view. See Orwell (1984), Joyce (Ulysses) and Gore Vidal's pseudonymous Edgar Box series.
    – JEL
    Oct 14, 2016 at 20:19

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