Denaturalize v. t. (past & past part. denaturalized; pres. part. denaturalizing)
1.
To render unnatural; to alienate from nature.
2.
To renounce the natural rights and duties of; to deprive of citizenship; to denationalize. (R.) "They also claimed the privilege, when aggrieved, of denaturalizing themselves, or, in other words, of publicly renouncing their allegiance to their sovereign, and of enlisting under the banners of his enemy."
... spiritual dominance by self-flagellation and fasting may be criticized in the light of modern Christianity. "Fanaticism defies nature," says F.W. Robertson, "Christianity refines it and respects it. Christianity does not denaturalize, but only sanctifies and refines according to the laws of nature. Christianity does not destroy our natural instincts, but gives them a higher and nobler direction." To all this I must assent, but, at the same time, I cannot but reverence that pure passion for holiness which led men, despairing ... — A Short History of Monks and Monasteries • Alfred Wesley Wishart
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