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Definition of 'Greek'

Word Frequency

Greek

(griːk )
Word forms: plural Greeks
1. adjective
Greek means belonging or relating to Greece, or to its people, language, or culture.
...a beautiful beach on a beautiful Greek island.
...the Greek army.
Synonyms: Hellenic   More Synonyms of Greek
2. countable noun
A Greek is a person who comes from Greece.
He had looked through the house for the two Greeks.
3. uncountable noun
Greek is the language spoken in Greece.
I had to learn Greek.
4. uncountable noun
Greek or Ancient Greek was the language used in Greece in ancient times.
Teachers warn today that Latin, Greek and other classics will be squeezed out of school timetables.
More Synonyms of Greek
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

Greek in British

(ɡriːk )
noun
1. 
the official language of Greece, constituting the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages
Ancient Greek, Late Greek, Medieval Greek, Modern Greek
2. 
a native or inhabitant of Greece or a descendant of such a native
3. 
a member of the Greek Orthodox Church
4. informal
anything incomprehensible (esp in the phrase it's (all) Greek to me)
5.  Greek meets Greek
adjective
6. 
denoting, relating to, or characteristic of Greece, the Greeks, or the Greek language; Hellenic
7. 
of, relating to, or designating the Greek Orthodox Church
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
Greekness (ˈGreekness)
  noun
Word origin of 'Greek'
from Old English Grēcas (plural), or Latin Graecus, from Greek Graikos
Word Frequency

Greek in American

(grik ; grēk)
noun
1. 
a person born or living in ancient or modern Greece
2. 
the language of the Greeks, constituting a separate branch of the Indo-European language family
see also Late Greek, Medieval Greek, Modern Greek
3. 
ancient Greek, esp. that of the classical period (c. 8th-4th cent. b.c.)
4.  US, Informal
a member of a Greek-letter fraternity or sorority
adjective
5. 
of ancient or modern Greece or its people, language, or culture
6. 
designating or of Greek Catholics or the Greek Orthodox Church
Idioms:
be Greek to someone
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'Greek'
ME Greke < OE Grec < L Graecus < Gr Graikos, name orig. used by Illyrians for the Dorians in Epirus (< Grāi, Grāii < Grāes, native name of the people of Epirus); later applied by the people of Italy to all Hellenes

Quotations

I fear the Greeks, even when they are bearing giftsVirgil Aeneid

Word Lists

Cuisines and cooking styles, European Languages, European peoples

Trends of 'Greek'

Very Common. Greek is one of the 4000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage for:

Translations for 'Greek'

British English: Greek /ɡriːk/ ADJECTIVE
Greek means belonging or relating to Greece, or to its people, language, or culture.
...Greek history.
  • American English: Greek
  • Arabic: يُونانيّ
  • Brazilian Portuguese: grego
  • Chinese: 希腊的
  • Croatian: grčki
  • Czech: řecký
  • Danish: græsk fra Grækenland
  • Dutch: Grieks
  • European Spanish: griego
  • Finnish: kreikkalainen adjektiivi
  • French: grec
  • German: griechisch
  • Greek: ελληνικός
  • Italian: greco
  • Japanese: ギリシャの
  • Korean: 그리스의
  • Norwegian: gresk
  • Polish: grecki
  • European Portuguese: grego
  • Romanian: grec
  • Russian: греческий
  • Spanish: griego
  • Swedish: grekisk
  • Thai: แห่งประเทศกรีก
  • Turkish: Yunan
  • Ukrainian: грецький
  • Vietnamese: thuộc nước/người/tiếng Hy Lạp
British English: Greek /ɡriːk/ NOUN
person A Greek is a person who comes from Greece.
For most Greeks, the election is about the economy.
  • American English: Greek person
  • Arabic: يُونانيّ person
  • Brazilian Portuguese: grego pessoa
  • Chinese: 希腊人
  • Croatian: Grk
  • Czech: Řek
  • Danish: græker
  • Dutch: Griek persoon
  • European Spanish: griego
  • Finnish: kreikkalainen henkilö
  • French: Grec
  • German: Grieche
  • Greek: Έλληνας πρόσωπο
  • Italian: greco
  • Japanese: ギリシャ人
  • Korean: 그리스 사람
  • Norwegian: greker
  • Polish: Grek
  • European Portuguese: grego pessoa
  • Romanian: grec
  • Russian: грек
  • Spanish: griego
  • Swedish: grek
  • Thai: ชาวกรีก
  • Turkish: Yunanlı kişi
  • Ukrainian: грек
  • Vietnamese: người Hy Lạp
British English: Greek /ɡriːk/ NOUN
language Greek is the language spoken in Greece.
I had to learn Greek.
  • American English: Greek language
  • Arabic: اللغة اليونانية language
  • Brazilian Portuguese: grego língua
  • Chinese: 希腊语
  • Croatian: grčki
  • Czech: řečtina
  • Danish: græsk sprog
  • Dutch: Grieks taal
  • European Spanish: griego
  • Finnish: kreikka
  • French: grec
  • German: Griechisch
  • Greek: Ελληνικά γλώσσα
  • Italian: greco
  • Japanese: ギリシャ語
  • Korean: 그리스어
  • Norwegian: gresk
  • Polish: język grecki
  • European Portuguese: grego língua
  • Romanian: greacă
  • Russian: греческий язык
  • Spanish: griego idioma
  • Swedish: grekiska
  • Thai: ภาษากรีก
  • Turkish: Yunanca dil
  • Ukrainian: грецька
  • Vietnamese: tiếng Hy Lạp

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Nearby words of 'Greek'

  • greedy
  • greedy guts
  • greegree
  • Greek
  • Greek bread
  • Greek Catholic
  • Greek Church

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'G'

Related Terms of 'Greek'

  • Greek god
  • Greek bread
  • Greek cross
  • Greek fire
  • Greek gift

  • View more related words

Source

Definition of Greek from the Collins English Dictionary

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