Hellenize

[ hel-uh-nahyz ]

/ ˈhɛl əˌnaɪz /

verb (used with object), Hel·len·ized, Hel·len·iz·ing.

to make Greek in character.

verb (used without object), Hel·len·ized, Hel·len·iz·ing.

to adopt Greek ideas or customs.

Also especially British, Hel·len·ise.

Origin of Hellenize

First recorded in 1605–15, Hellenize is from the Greek word Hellēnízein to imitate the Greeks, speak Greek. See Hellene, -ize

Related formsHel·len·i·za·tion, nounHel·len·iz·er, nounde-Hel·len·ize, verb, de-Hel·len·ized, de-Hel·len·iz·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hellenization

In various ways, the Hellenization of the Roman religion was accomplished.
The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, Vol. II (of II)|Walter M. Chandler
We are to-day in the midst of a movement likely to surpass the period of Hellenization in duration and extent.
Musical Portraits|Paul Rosenfeld
Aphrodite exhibits more clearly than any other deity the process or the direction of the Hellenization of a foreign god.
Introduction to the History of Religions|Crawford Howell Toy
Harnack traces three stages in the Hellenization of Christianity.
The Legacy of Greece|Various

Hence it was only in islands, such as Sicily or Cyprus, that the process of Hellenization was complete.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hellenization

Hellenize

Hellenise

/ (ˈhɛlɪˌnaɪz) /

verb

to make or become like the ancient Greeks

Derived FormsHellenization or Hellenisation, nounHellenizer or Helleniser, 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