To divide into cantons; to organize according to a canton system; to make cantonal in structure.
From canton plus the verb-forming suffix -ize, which makes verbs meaning 'to cause to become' or 'to organize by.' This is a productive suffix creating verbs from nouns throughout English.
When bureaucrats and reformers want to reorganize a government region, they might 'cantonize' it—a Swiss-inspired word that sounds dry but represents actual revolutionary political restructuring.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.