British spelling: to bring under colonial control; to establish a colony in a territory or to subject a people to colonial rule.
From 'colonial' + '-ise' (British verbal suffix), derived from 'colony' (Latin 'colonia'). The verb form developed to describe the historical process of European imperial expansion.
The British spelling '-ise' versus American '-ize' actually reflects different Latin roots they inherited—this single vowel difference shows how the two languages diverged after American independence.
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