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Hellenize

[hel-uh-nahyz]
verb (used with object), Hel·len·ized, Hel·len·iz·ing.
  1. to make Greek in character.
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verb (used without object), Hel·len·ized, Hel·len·iz·ing.
  1. to adopt Greek ideas or customs.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for hellenize

Historical Examples

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for hellenize

Hellenize

Hellenise

verb
  1. to make or become like the ancient Greeks
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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