Classicise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To give something the form, style or character of classical art or architecture ; to adapt or present a work according to the principles of ancient Greek or Roman models
2. To shape a thing so that it follows the restraint and proportion of classical design ; to handle or reinterpret material in the manner of antiquity
3. To render an object or piece of writing in a classical mould ; to treat a subject following the conventions associated with ancient culture

Etymology: The verb "classicise" is a plain built-up formation: English took the adjective "classic" and added the suffix "-ise" to make a verb meaning to make something classical or to treat it in a classical style. The adjective itself came into English from French "classique," which in turn came from Latin "classicus," a word meaning belonging to the highest class of Roman citizens. That Latin sense was tied to the Roman system of dividing citizens into classes by property, so a "classicus" was a man of the top rank rather than someone of cultural distinction. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the adjective it joins. "-ise" traces back through Middle French and Late Latin "-izare" to the Greek "-izein," a verb-forming ending. Greek used it to build verbs from nouns and adjectives, and Latin and then French carried it forward, so English speakers could attach it to almost any adjective to create a new verb. Because "-ise" is productive, the result is a transparent word: it means exactly what its parts suggest, and no single coiner or famous quotation stands behind it.

Synonyms: classicize, neoclassicize

Antonyms: modernise, modernize