barbarizar
1. to make or become barbarous; to reduce to a state of barbarism or savagery
The constant warfare threatened to barbarize the once-civilized society.
A guerra constante ameaçava barbarizar a sociedade que antes era civilizada.
2. to use or introduce barbarisms (non-standard or foreign words) into a language
Linguists worry that excessive borrowing from English may barbarize the Portuguese language.
Os linguistas temem que o excesso de empréstimos do inglês possa barbarizar a língua portuguesa.
3. to treat someone in a cruel or savage manner
The invaders continued to barbarize the conquered populations.
Os invasores continuaram a barbarizar as populações conquistadas.
The term is more commonly used in academic and literary contexts in both Brazilian Portuguese and English. In Brazil, 'barbarizar' is primarily found in discussions about cultural degradation, linguistic purity, and historical processes of colonization. The word carries formal connotations and is less frequent in casual speech.
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