depersonalize
v.— «In military jargon, the city has been “depersonalized”—districts are given American names like “Queens” to replace their Iraqi names.» —“Another Iwo Jima?” by Rory McCarthy in Baghdad, Iraq Salon Nov. 9, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...
Lee in Charleston, South Carolina, remembers her dad used to refer to a blue patch of sky after a rain as kitten’s britches. Similar terms include Dutchman’s trousers, old woman’s apron, and cat’s vest, all suggesting that...