Hellenize

[hel-uh-nahyz]

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 hellenize

Historical Examples of hellenize

There was a return to Egyptian political ideas, rather than any attempt to Hellenize the government of the country.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind
Herbert George Wells
True, their tendency and probably their aim was to Hellenize Serbs and Bulgarians.
The Passing of the Turkish Empire in Europe
B. Granville Baker

British Dictionary definitions for hellenize

Hellenize

Hellenise

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