Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Civilize

Civilize , transitive verb

[Compare French civilizer, fromL. civilis civil. See Civil.]

1.
To reclaim from a savage state; to instruct in the rules and customs of civilization; to educate; to refine.
Yet blest that fate which did his arms dispose Her land to civilize, as to subdue. — Dryden
2.
To admit as suitable to a civilized state. [Obsolete or Rare]
Civilizing adultery. — Milton