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Glite Dictionary
to euhemerize

to euhemerize

9.9
To explain myths as stories about real people or events
  • verb
  • /juːˈhɛmərˌaɪz/
  • Specialized
: euhemerizar
  • Many scholars attempt to euhemerize ancient legends by linking them to actual historical figures.

Examples

  • By choosing to euhemerize the stories of the gods, the author made them more relatable to modern readers.

  • And it seems that Paul goes into the heavens in a mystical experience, and he sees the euhemerized, apotheosized Jesus.

  • In his analysis, he argued that the myths could be better understood if we euhemerize them based on historical contexts.

How Historical

to historicize
  • Specialized
1 7.9
to euhemerize
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

euhemerize infinitive
euhemerized past
euhemerized past participle
euhemerizing present participle
euhemerizes third person singular

Morphology

euhemerize = Euhemerus (opaque) = euhemer + ize

Formed from the obscure proper name Euhemerus plus the productive suffix '-ize', so understanding requires specialized historical knowledge rather than common-word composition.

Etymology

Euhemerize comes from the name of an ancient Greek writer, Euhemerus, who said many gods began as real people, and the ending -ize means 'to make' or 'treat as'. So to euhemerize a myth is to treat gods or legends as if they were real historical people, a bit like 'humanize' a story.