Hellenicize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause something or someone to adopt the language, culture, customs or ideals associated with ancient or modern Greece
2. To bring a people, place or institution under Greek influence so that it takes on Greek manners and traditions
3. To transform or be transformed into a form that reflects Greek civilization, ideas and way of life

Etymology: "Hellenicize" is formed from "Hellenic," the adjective meaning "Greek," plus the verb-forming suffix "-ize," which turns an adjective into a verb meaning "make or become like." "Hellenic" traces back to "Hellen," the mythical ancestor of the Greeks, whose name the Greeks used for themselves, while the Romans and later English-speakers more often used "Greek," from Latin "Graecus." The verb itself is a much later coinage, built on the same pattern as words like "Christianize" and "modernize." Its exact first recorded date is uncertain, so the word is best understood as a modern formation from the older adjective rather than a term with a documented early history. The word describes a process: a culture, custom, or people being shaped by Greek language, religion, or manners. Its sense is closely tied to the adjective, so a reader who knows "Hellenic" already has most of the meaning.

Synonyms: hellenize, grecianize