Classicised

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Made to conform to ancient Greek or Roman models; adapted to reflect classical style or taste; rendered in a manner reminiscent of classical antiquity
2. Transformed following traditional Greco-Roman aesthetic principles; refined according to the classical ideal; stylized to imitate the art, literature, or architecture of classical cultures
3. Modified to fit the conventions of classical tradition; influenced by ancient cultural standards; shaped or designed with characteristics of classical elegance and formality

Etymology: "Classicised" is the past form of "classicise", a verb built in English from "classic" and the suffix "-ise". The base word traces back to Latin "classicus", meaning of the highest class of citizens, which itself came from "classis", a division or class of the Roman people. Through French "classique" it reached English as "classic", and the suffix passed through Late Latin "-izare", Greek "-izein", and Old French "-iser" before arriving in Middle English as "-isen" and later "-ise". The surprising part is how far the original sense has moved. A Roman "classicus" was a citizen of the top property class, so the word once described a social rank rather than a style or an artistic standard. Adding "-ise" to "classic" produces a verb meaning to make something conform to classical models, which is where the modern sense of adapting work to classical conventions comes from.

Synonyms: classicized, traditionalized, formalized, refined, stylized

Antonyms: modernized, contemporized, informalized, vulgarized, simplified