"to make a complex topic intelligible to the common people," 1833; see popular + -ize. Earlier "to cater to popular taste" (1590s); "to make popular" (1797). Related: Popularized; popularizer; popularizing.
They popularized coffee in Washington State
Carl Sagan popularized cosmology in his books
populace
popular
popularise
popularity
popularization
popularize
popularness
populate
population
populism
populist
