Christianify

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To bring a person, group or culture over to the Christian faith ; to give something a Christian character or make it accord with Christian belief
2. To win converts to Christianity among a people or population ; to shape an institution, practice or idea so that it reflects Christian values
3. To convert people or a society to the Christian religion ; to adapt or impose Christian doctrine and morals upon something that was not originally Christian

Etymology: Christianify joins two pieces that came into English by different routes. The base, "Christian," traces to Late Latin "christianus," borrowed from Greek "christianos," meaning a follower of Christ, from "Christos," the Greek rendering of "anointed." English took the root into its own vocabulary early, as "cristen" in Old English. The ending "-ify" comes from Old French "-ifier," which descends from Latin "-ificare," "to make or cause to be." Attaching it to a noun produces a verb meaning to make something into that thing. So christianify means to make someone Christian, or to convert a people or place to Christianity. The form appears in English as a deliberate formation from these existing parts, not as a word inherited from ancient times.

Synonyms: christianise, christianize, convert

Antonyms: secularize, dechristianize