Medize
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Alternative form of medize. alt-of, alternative
- 2 To side with the Persians; to be loyal to the Persian Empire rather than Greeks. historical, intransitive
"It is sometimes said that in giving unfavourable or ambiguous responses to Athens, Delphi was medizing. But surely this view is wide of the mark. What could Delphi possibly hope to gain by siding with the Persians? If Delphi was in fact medizing, why did the Persians attempt to take it and to plunder its sanctuary? The truth is that Delphi's overriding aim was the preservation of traditional religion,"
Example
More examples"It is sometimes said that in giving unfavourable or ambiguous responses to Athens, Delphi was medizing. But surely this view is wide of the mark. What could Delphi possibly hope to gain by siding with the Persians? If Delphi was in fact medizing, why did the Persians attempt to take it and to plunder its sanctuary? The truth is that Delphi's overriding aim was the preservation of traditional religion,"
Etymology
From the Ancient Greek verb μηδίζω (mēdízō, literally “side with the Medes”), corresponding to Mede + -ize.
Related phrases
More for "medize"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.