medize

verb

1. 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,

Where it comes from

From the Ancient Greek verb μηδίζω (mēdízō, literally “side with the Medes”), corresponding to Mede + -ize.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry medize (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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