# Greek

Pronunciation: say "GREEK" /ɡɹiːk/

## Adjective

1. Relating to Greece, or to its people, language, or culture.
   - Simple: Coming from Greece, or about its people, language, or way of life.
   - _The museum displayed Greek sculptures from the classical period._
   - _Greek islands attract millions of visitors each summer._
5. Having to do with fraternities and sororities at colleges, or less often with honor societies. *(US)*
   - Simple: Connected to college fraternities and sororities.
   - _He spent most of his weekends at Greek events on campus._
   - _Greek organizations raised money for the local food bank._
8. Impossible to understand, as if written or spoken in an unfamiliar foreign language. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Impossible to understand, like a language you do not know.
   - _The dense philosophical passage was utterly Greek to the new students._
   - _Banking contracts can be Greek to people without a finance background._

## Proper noun

2. The language of Greece, ancient or modern, spoken or written in the Greek alphabet.
   - Simple: The language of the people of Greece, in its old or modern form.
   - _He can read Greek well enough to enjoy ancient poetry._
   - _Tourists often pick up a few words of Greek before their trip._

## Noun

3. A person who comes from Greece or who is of Greek descent.
   - Simple: Someone who comes from Greece, or whose family is from Greece.
   - _The café owner is a Greek from a small island village._
   - _Ancient Greeks built temples that still stand today._
4. Traditional or representative food and cuisine of Greece.
   - Simple: Traditional food and cooking from Greece.
   - _After the movie, they grabbed some Greek from a place near campus._
   - _Nothing beats homemade Greek when the whole family cooks together._
6. Language, writing, or jargon that is completely incomprehensible to the listener or reader. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Speech or writing that you cannot understand at all.
   - _The tax form was complete Greek to her, full of terms she had never seen._
   - _To anyone outside the lab, the technician's report reads like Greek._
7. A student who is a member of a collegiate fraternity or sorority. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: A college student who belongs to a fraternity or sorority.
   - _He became a Greek in his sophomore year and never looked back._
   - _The Greeks organized a charity drive before finals week._
9. Sexual intercourse involving the anus. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A form of sex involving the anus.
   - _Her new boyfriend kept hinting in bed that he wanted to try Greek, so she finally told him plainly that she was not interested._
   - _Couples who enjoy Greek say plenty of lubricant and patience make all the difference._

## Noun

10. A cunning, deceitful rogue who lives by trickery and sharp dealing. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A clever, dishonest person who tricks others to get what they want.
11. A merry, convivial fellow fond of good company and good cheer. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A cheerful, fun-loving man who enjoys good company.

## Verb

12. To cheat while playing cards. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To cheat someone during a game of cards.

## Other meanings

- (noun) Any of several measures of how sensitive a derivative's price is to changes in factors such as the underlying price, time, or volatility.
- (noun) Dummy placeholder text inserted into a layout to show how the design will look before the final wording is supplied.

## 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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/greek (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).