The process of making something or someone behave in a savage, cruel, or animal-like manner, especially in British English spelling.
From bestial (from Latin bestia, meaning beast) + -ise (British suffix meaning to make or cause to be). The -ing form indicates ongoing action. The word evolved from medieval Latin descriptions of dehumanizing behavior.
The choice between -ize and -ise endings reveals a fascinating transatlantic divide in English: American English standardized on -ize around the 1800s, while British English kept -ise, yet both are technically correct since -ize comes from Greek -izein, making it the 'original' form!
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