different between christianize vs christen

English

Alternative forms

• kersen (dialectal)
• christian

Etymology

From Middle English cristenen, cristnien, from Old English cristnian (“to christen, baptise”), from cristen (“Christen, Christian”) +? -nian. Cognate with Dutch kerstenen (“to christen”), Middle Low German kristenen, kerstenen, karstenen (“to christen”), Danish kristne (“to christen”) Swedish kristna (“to christen”), Icelandic kristna (“to christen”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k??s?n/
• Rhymes: -?s?n

Verb

christen (third-person singular simple present christens, present participle christening, simple past and past participle christened)

1. (transitive) To perform the religious act of baptism upon; to baptize.

   The new baby was christened at the village church.

2. (transitive, by extension) To name.

   I christen this ship the Bonny Barnacle.

   • 1684-1690, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth

     Christen the thing what you will.

3. (obsolete) To Christianize.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Jeremy Taylor to this entry?)

4. (colloquial) To use for the first time.

   I christened my new boots today with a walk in the snow.

5. (informal) To douse or wet with blood, urine, tears, or other liquid.
   • 2002: Q Is for Quarry by Sue Grafton

     I christened the facilities, shrugged into my windbreaker, and met Dolan at his door.

Translations

Anagrams

• Nichters, Strichen, Tinchers, centrish, chinrest, citherns, cithrens, snitcher

Dutch

Alternative forms

• kersten (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch cristen, variant of kersten, from Old Dutch [Term?], from Latin Christi?nus, from Ancient Greek ?????????? (Khr?sti?nós). The current Dutch spelling has been influenced by the Latin and subsequently also the Greek words.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?kr?s.t?n/
• (some orthodox Protestants) IPA^(key): /?xr?s.t?n/
• Hyphenation: chris?ten
• Rhymes: -?st?n

Noun

christen m (plural christenen, diminutive christentje n, feminine christin)

1. Christian

Derived terms

• christendemocraat
• christendemocratie
• christin
• gristen
• jodenchristen
• ontchristenen

Related terms

• christendom