Hellenicizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To adapt or modify something so that it reflects Greek language, culture, or characteristics; to translate or render into Greek style or form; to infuse with elements typical of ancient or modern Greek civilization
2. To transform or convert by incorporating Greek linguistic, cultural, or stylistic features; to assimilate into a Greek mode of expression or existence; to impart qualities associated with Greek heritage or customs
3. To alter or influence by making compatible with Greek traditions, language, or practices; to naturalize within a Greek cultural context; to implement Greek norms or idioms into something originally non-Greek

Etymology: Hellenicizes is the third-person singular of "hellenicize," a verb built from "Hellenic," the adjective for the ancient Greeks and their language and culture. The "-ize" ending, from Greek "-izein" through Latin "-izare," turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make or cause something to become like it. So to hellenicize is to make something Greek in character. The verb is most often used of history. When Alexander the Great's conquests spread Greek language, customs and institutions across the eastern Mediterranean and into Central Asia, historians describe the resulting cultures as hellenized. The process ran in both directions: local peoples adopted Greek ways, while Greek settlers often took on local customs. The word therefore describes a change that happens to a culture rather than a single act.

Synonyms: Hellenizes, Greekifies

Antonyms: dehellenicizes