in ‧ sti ‧ tu ‧ tion ‧ al ‧ ize BrE AmE ( also institutionalise British English ) /ˌɪnstəˈtjuːʃ ə nəlaɪz, ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃ ə nəlaɪz $ -ˈtuː-/ verb [transitive]
1 . old-fashioned to put someone in an institution for old people, a mental hospital etc
2 . to make something a normal accepted part of a social system or organization:
the struggle to institutionalize equality for women