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

Word Frequency

Greek in British

(ɡriːk )

noun

the official language of Greece, constituting the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages

Ancient Greek, Late Greek, Medieval Greek, Modern Greek

a native or inhabitant of Greece or a descendant of such a native

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

denoting, relating to, or characteristic of Greece, the Greeks, or the Greek language; Hellenic

of, relating to, or designating the Greek Orthodox Church

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

a person born or living in ancient or modern Greece

the language of the Greeks, constituting a separate branch of the Indo-European language family

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

of ancient or modern Greece or its people, language, or culture

designating or of Greek Catholics or the Greek Orthodox Church

Idioms:

be Greek to someone

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

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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'

Related Terms of 'Greek'

Source

Definition of Greek from the Collins English Dictionary

The verb be is used as an auxiliary verb and it can also be used as a main verb. See Types of main verb. The verb be is irregular. It has eight different forms: be, am, is, are, was, were, being, bee...