Christianised

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Brought over to the Christian faith or made to adopt its religious beliefs ; reshaped so as to conform to Christian teaching or customs
2. Won over to Christianity by missionaries or other believers ; modified in form to fit in with Christian doctrine or practice
3. Having been converted to the Christian religion ; altered so that it accords with the principles and traditions of Christianity

Etymology: "Christianised" is the past tense and past participle of "Christianise," so its history is that of the verb itself. The verb is formed from "Christian," which comes from the Late Latin "christianus," meaning a follower of Christ, itself based on the Greek "Khristos," the translation of the Hebrew "mashiach," or "anointed one." The suffix "-ise" (or "-ize") is a Greek-derived verbal ending meaning to make into, or to bring into a certain state, so "to Christianise" literally means to make something Christian. The verb carries that sense of conversion in a very literal way. To Christianise a people or place was to bring them to Christian belief and practice, often as part of missionary work or political change. Over time the same verb came to describe the adaptation of older customs, festivals or sites to Christian meanings, so the word can describe both wholesale conversion and the quieter reshaping of existing traditions.

Synonyms: converted, evangelised, proselytised, baptised

Antonyms: secularised, dechristianised