Greek

[ greek ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Greece, the Greeks, or their language.
2. pertaining to the Greek Orthodox Church.
3. noting or pertaining to the alphabetic script derived from a Semitic form of writing, employing some letters that originally represented consonants for use as vowel sounds, which was used from about the beginning of the first millennium b.c. for the writing of Greek, and from which the Latin, Cyrillic, and other alphabets were derived.

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Greece.
2. the language of the ancient Greeks and any of the languages that have developed from it, as Hellenistic Greek, Biblical Greek, the Koine, and Modern Greek. : Gk, Gk.
3. Informal. anything unintelligible, as speech, writing, etc.:

   This contract is all Greek to me.

4. a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.
5. Hellenic ( def 3 ).
6. a person who belongs to a Greek-letter fraternity or sorority.
7. Archaic: Usually Offensive. a cheater, especially one who cheats at cards.

Greek

/ ɡriːk /

noun

1. the official language of Greece, constituting the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages See 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
   equals meet

adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or characteristic of Greece, the Greeks, or the Greek language; Hellenic
2. of, relating to, or designating the Greek Orthodox Church

Sensitive Note

The noun Greek in its archaic meaning of “cheater” is usually perceived as insulting to or by Greeks.

Derived Forms

• ˈGreekness, noun

Other Words From

• Greekdom noun
• Greekish adjective
• anti-Greek adjective noun
• half-Greek adjective
• non-Greek adjective noun
• pre-Greek adjective noun
• pro-Greek adjective noun
• pseudo-Greek adjective noun
• quasi-Greek adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Greek¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English Grēcas (plural) from Latin Graecī “the Greeks” (nominative plural of Graecus ) from Greek Graikoí, plural of Graikós Greek

Word History and Origins

Origin of Greek¹

from Old English Grēcas (plural), or Latin Graecus, from Greek Graikos

Example Sentences

Similarly, after the Greek government began checking on people receiving pensions, about 70% of all alleged centenarians in the country turned out to be dead.

From Science Magazine

Piezoelectricity, which translates from Greek to mean pressing electricity, usually found in ceramics or polymers, is also present in human biomolecules.

From Science Daily

Around 3,500 England supporters travelled to the Greek capital for the sold-out fixture but some fans complained of being "pushed" and receiving "heavy-handed" treatment from local police.

From BBC

The desperately poor Greek performance in front of their own feverish fans, such a sharp contrast to their outstanding efforts at Wembley, must provide context to the assessment of England's own display.

From BBC

That includes marrying a much older, undead Greek peasant shunned by this social caste’s peers.

From Salon