Greek
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also greek
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Latin Graecus, from Ancient Greek Γραικός (Graikos, “a character in Greek mythology”) (a son of Thessalos, the king of Phthia), whom Ἑλλάς (Hellas, “Greece”), and Ἕλληνες (Hellenes), were also named after; see also Ἕλλην and Hellen.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
Greek (countable and uncountable; plural Greeks)
- (countable) An inhabitant, resident, or a person of descent from Greece.
- (US, countable) A member of a college fraternity or sorority, which are commonly characterised by being named after Greek letters. (See also Greek system)
- "Was Joe a Greek in college?"
- (uncountable) Unintelligible speech or text, such as foreign speech or text, or regarding subjects the listener is not familiar with, such as mathematics or technical jargon; or statements that the listener does not understand or agree with.
- 1821, Mary Jane Mackenzie, Geraldine, or Modes of faith and practice[1], page 8:
- "I don't hear one word in ten that they say," continued Mrs. Abingdon; "it's Greek to me. However, ..."
- 1859, Kinahan Cornwallis, Two journeys to Japan, 1856-7, Volume 2[2], page 246:
- "It's all Greek to me," said my companion at the outset, but as the warrior continued, his fears arose within him; it might be sentence of death — what did he know what it might not be?
- 1951,, “Which Kind of Life Insurance Policy?”, Changing Times - The Kiplinger Magazine, volume 5, number 12, page 28:
- ...preferred risk...family maintenance...20-pay life. That's a bare sampling of the merchandise you're asked to pick and choose from. If it sounds like Greek to you, don't worry. It sounds like Greek to most people.
- 1821, Mary Jane Mackenzie, Geraldine, or Modes of faith and practice[1], page 8:
[edit] Translations
inhabitant, etc., of Greece
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nonsense talk or writing; gibberish
[edit] Proper noun
Greek
- The language of the Greek people, spoken in Greece and in Greek communities.
- The writing system used in Greek language.
[edit] Translations
language of the Greek people
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[edit] Adjective
Greek (comparative Greeker, superlative Greekest)
- Of or relating to Greece, the Greek people, or the Greek language.
- Of or pertaining to a fraternity or sorority.
- unintelligible, especially regarding foreign speech or text, or regarding subjects the speaker is not familiar with, such as mathematics or technical jargon.
[edit] Synonyms
- The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. Use the template {{sense|"gloss"}}, substituting a short version of the definition for "gloss".
[edit] Translations
of the Greek language, people or country
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unintelligible, especially regarding foreign speech
[edit] Derived terms
terms derived from Greek
[edit] Related terms
terms related to Greek
[edit] See also
Other headwords of interest
- Wiktionary's coverage of Greek terms
- Appendix:Greek Swadesh list for a Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words in Greek
[edit] Statistics
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Most common English words before 1923: conduct · directly · James · #932: Greek · island · special · memory
[edit] External links
- Greek–English Dictionary: from Webster’s Dictionary — the Rosetta Edition.
- ISO 639-1 code el, ISO 639-3 code ell (SIL)
- Ethnologue entry for Greek, ell
