Signalize comes from signal (from Old French signal, from Late Latin signale, from Latin signum, 'mark, sign') plus the verb-forming suffix -ize. The historical chain includes Latin signum. Older glosses in the chain include "mark, sign", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, signalize is best read as suffixal formation and borrowing, yielding an English verb shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a verb, with the sense "to make notable or distinguish; to indicate by a signal". English derivatives include signalization; related forms include signal, sign, and signify. The result is an English verb whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.