To write, speak, or express oneself in the refined, elegant style characteristic of ancient Athens; to imitate Athenian speech patterns.
From Attic + -ize (to make or become). The Romans used this verb when they wanted to show they were writing in the 'proper' classical Athenian style.
When Roman authors 'atticized,' they were doing something similar to modern people writing 'correctly' to impress—changing their natural way of speaking to match a prestigious standard.
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