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Christianize

[kris-chuh-nahyz]
verb (used with object), Chris·tian·ized, Chris·tian·iz·ing.
  1. to make Christian.
  2. to imbue with Christian principles.
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Also especially British, Chris·tian·ise.

Origin of Christianize

First recorded in 1585–95; Christian + -ize
Related formsChris·tian·i·za·tion, nounChris·tian·iz·er, nounde-Chris·tian·ize, verb, de-Chris·tian·ized, de-Chris·tian·iz·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for christianize

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He was not seeking to christianize the natives; that was a plausible subterfuge.

    Aztec Land

    Maturin M. Ballou

  • Christianize Rome, and you impart the very principle of endurance, of immortality.

    Aurelian

    William Ware

  • To socialize and Christianize half the people of the world is the task of centuries.

    Society

    Henry Kalloch Rowe

  • Was it possible to teach them right and wrong, to Christianize, or even to civilize them?

  • Can nothing be done to christianize the ferocious tribes of the Andamans?

British Dictionary definitions for christianize

Christianize

Christianise

verb (tr)
  1. to make Christian or convert to Christianity
  2. to imbue with Christian principles, spirit, or outlook
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Derived FormsChristianization or Christianisation, nounChristianizer or Christianiser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for christianize

v.

1590s, from Christian + -ize. Originally intransitive as well as transitive. Related: Christianized; christianizing; christianization.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper