diff --git a/skimage/thresholding/__init__.py b/skimage/thresholding/__init__.py
index d5d6eddf..9b6e229c 100644
--- a/skimage/thresholding/__init__.py
+++ b/skimage/thresholding/__init__.py
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
-from .thresholding import threshold_otsu, binarize
+from .thresholding import threshold_otsu
+
diff --git a/skimage/thresholding/tests/test_thresholding.py b/skimage/thresholding/tests/test_thresholding.py
index 6fc3f020..2ec64da6 100644
--- a/skimage/thresholding/tests/test_thresholding.py
+++ b/skimage/thresholding/tests/test_thresholding.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import numpy as np
 
 import skimage
 from skimage import data
-from skimage.thresholding import threshold_otsu, binarize
+from skimage.thresholding import threshold_otsu
 
 
 class TestSimpleImage():
@@ -24,14 +24,6 @@ class TestSimpleImage():
         image = np.float64(self.image)
         assert 2 <= threshold_otsu(image) < 3
 
-    def test_binarize(self):
-        expected = np.array([[0, 0, 0, 1, 1],
-                             [0, 0, 1, 1, 1],
-                             [0, 0, 1, 1, 0],
-                             [0, 1, 1, 0, 0],
-                             [1, 1, 0, 0, 0]])
-        assert np.all(binarize(self.image) == expected)
-
 
 def test_otsu_camera_image():
     assert threshold_otsu(data.camera()) == 87
diff --git a/skimage/thresholding/thresholding.py b/skimage/thresholding/thresholding.py
index 131d33e7..b274010f 100644
--- a/skimage/thresholding/thresholding.py
+++ b/skimage/thresholding/thresholding.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 
 
-__all__ = ['threshold_otsu', 'binarize']
+__all__ = ['threshold_otsu']
 
 
 def threshold_otsu(image, bins=256):
@@ -45,28 +45,6 @@ def threshold_otsu(image, bins=256):
     return threshold
 
 
-_threshold_funcs = {'otsu': threshold_otsu}
-def binarize(image, method='otsu'):
-    """Return binary image using an automatic thresholding method.
-
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    image : array
-        Input array.
-    method : {'otsu'}
-        Method used to calculate threshold value. Currently, only Otsu's method
-        is implemented.
-
-    Returns
-    -------
-    out : array
-        Thresholded image.
-    """
-    get_threshold = _threshold_funcs[method]
-    threshold = get_threshold(image)
-    return image > threshold
-
-
 def histogram(image, bins):
     """Return histogram of image.