Hellenize

American  

[hel-uh-nahyz] / ˈhɛl əˌnaɪz /

especially British, Hellenise

verb (used with object)

Hellenized, Hellenizing

1. to make Greek in character.

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verb (used without object)

Hellenized, Hellenizing

1. to adopt Greek ideas or customs.

Hellenize British  

/ ˈhɛlɪˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to make or become like the ancient Greeks

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Other Word Forms

• Hellenization
  noun
• Hellenizer
  noun
• de-Hellenize
  verb

Etymology

Origin of Hellenize

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Hellenize Hellenized Hellenizing

But unlike the early Christians, who had freed themselves to interpret parts of the Old Testament as metaphor, Maimonides was unwilling to Hellenize his religion completely.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

The native kings had done much to Hellenize Cappadocia, which had previously received a strong Iranian colour; but it was left to Christianity to complete their work.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 "Capefigue" to "Carneades" by Various

Have I not sacked the Temple, and on the altar Set up the statue of Olympian Zeus To Hellenize it?

From The Complete Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth

He set himself to Hellenize or Catholicize Armenian Christianity, and in furtherance of this aim set up a hierarchy officially dependent on the Cappadocian.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5 "Greek Law" to "Ground-Squirrel" by Various

They did not abolish the individuality of either; they did not Hellenize even so much of West Asia as they succeeded in holding to the end.

From The Ancient East by Hogarth, D. G. (David George)

Eventually, the brutal repression of Jews who remained in their homeland led to the collapse of the Hellenized Jewish communities throughout the Roman Empire.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

Some speculate that, by the time of the Second Temple, many Jews were Hellenized, and early converts to Christianity were merely borrowing standard Dionysian rites.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 7, 2019

This Hellenized Documenta is sometimes forceful, often obscure, and in places exhaustingly proud of itself.

From New York Times ● Apr. 9, 2017

The Maccabees opposed their Hellenized counterparts, and according to some scholars, their revolt really began as a bitter internal fight between religious fundamentalists and reformers.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 2, 2015

It certainly was far less Hellenized than the Alexandrian cult of Isis and Serapis, or even that of the Great Mother of Pessinus.

From The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism by Cumont, Franz

However, these islands of Greek culture did not succeed to any great extent in Hellenizing the native populations which remained in a state of subjection, indifferent or hostile to their conquerors.

From A History of Rome to 565 A. D. by Boak, Arthur Edward Romilly

The Hellenizing of the seat of empire and of the state, which was essential to the independent development of Byzantine literature, proceeds yet more slowly.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5 "Greek Law" to "Ground-Squirrel" by Various

How does he deal with the Hellenizing tendencies of his time?

From Studies in the Poetry of Italy, I. Roman by Miller, Frank Justus

The poem, 'The Gods of Greece,' contributed to the Merkur in March, 1788, marks the beginning of his Hellenizing.

From The Life and Works of Friedrich Schiller by Thomas, Calvin

It might have been expected that the Hellenizing of the political system of the Eastern empire would have likewise entailed the Hellenizing of the non-Greek portions of the empire.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5 "Greek Law" to "Ground-Squirrel" by Various