DictionaryAI

Greek

GREEK/ɡɹiːk/

AdjectiveGreeker, Greekest

Noun pluralGreeks, greeks

14 meanings of Greek

Practice

  1. 1
    of the nationadjective
    Relating to Greece, or to its people, language, or culture.

    The museum displayed Greek sculptures from the classical period.

    Greek islands attract millions of visitors each summer.

    SimilarHellenic

    Note

    The word entered English as a name for people. Old English Grēcas, "Greeks," was a variant of Crēcas. It came through Proto-West Germanic from Latin Graecus, whose own origin is uncertain: perhaps the place name Graîa, perhaps the tribal name Graii. As an adjective it reaches from Richard Jefferies's "Greek warrior" (1879) to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, and "ancient Greek" is the usual way to point to the classical world.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 6 facts

    • Greek entered English as a name for people, from Old English Grēcas, meaning Greeks, a variant of Crēcas. en.wiktionary.org
    • The word came through Proto-West Germanic from Latin Graecus. en.wiktionary.org
    • The ultimate origin is uncertain; Graîa and the tribal name Graii are proposed sources. en.wiktionary.org
    • Richard Jefferies used the exact phrase “Greek warrior” in The Amateur Poacher. gutenberg.org
    • The Amateur Poacher was first published in 1879. biodiversitylibrary.org
    • Hippocrates was an ancient Greek physician. en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2
    languageproper nouncountable or uncountable
    The language of Greece, ancient or modern, spoken or written in the Greek alphabet.

    He can read Greek well enough to enjoy ancient poetry.

    Tourists often pick up a few words of Greek before their trip.

    Note

    Which Greek is meant depends on who is speaking. In "On Not Knowing Greek" (1925), Virginia Woolf meant the ancient language of the stage, whose sounds and jokes are lost to us. When John Malathronas says he spoke Greek by the age of twelve, he means the modern tongue. Like other language names, it takes no article: you know, read or speak Greek.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

    • Virginia Woolf wrote “On Not Knowing Greek,” included in The Common Reader. en.wikisource.org
    • The essay's first publication was in 1925. themorgan.org
    • Woolf discusses ancient Greek, including drama, and says that its sounds, intended laughter and acting are unknown to us. gutenberg.org
    • John Malathronas said he could speak Greek by the age of twelve. en.wiktionary.org
    • The context indicates that Malathronas means Modern Greek; the same article explicitly discusses learning Modern Greek. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    personnouncountable
    A person who comes from Greece or who is of Greek descent.

    The café owner is a Greek from a small island village.

    Ancient Greeks built temples that still stand today.

    SimilarHellene

    Note

    This is the oldest use of the word: Old English Grēcas meant exactly this, as told under the adjective. With the definite article and a past tense, the Greeks often points to the ancients as a whole people, as in "the Greeks believed the sun went round the earth." The plural is regular: one Greek, many Greeks.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • The use referring to Greek people is the oldest use of the word, inherited from Old English. en.wiktionary.org
    • Old English Grēcas referred to Greek people. en.wiktionary.org
  4. 4
    foodnoununcountable
    Traditional or representative food and cuisine of Greece.

    After the movie, they grabbed some Greek from a place near campus.

    Nothing beats homemade Greek when the whole family cooks together.

  5. 5
    fraternity lifeadjectiveUS
    Having to do with fraternities and sororities at colleges, or less often with honor societies.

    He spent most of his weekends at Greek events on campus.

    Greek organizations raised money for the local food bank.

    Note

    American college life supplies this sense. Fraternities and sororities together make up what Adrian Horton's 2023 article calls "the Greek system." Unlike the national adjective, which can stretch to Greeker, this one does not compare: an event is Greek or it is not. Its noun partner is a fraternity or sorority member.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The fraternity-and-sorority sense belongs to American college life. en.wiktionary.org
    • Adrian Horton wrote the referenced article in 2023. theguardian.com
    • Horton's article uses the exact phrase “the Greek system” for the fraternity-and-sorority system. theguardian.com

Practice

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Origin

Greek is inherited from Old English Grēcas ("Greeks"), a variant of Crēcas, which goes back through Proto-West Germanic *Krēkō to Latin Graecus, itself of uncertain origin and perhaps taken from the place name Graîa or from a tribal name Graii. The ⟨g⟩ of English and its Germanic relatives (Dutch Griek, German Grieche) was brought back by the influence of French grec and Latin Graecus, and the adjective, which dates from 14th-century Middle English, took the place of Old English Grēċisċ.