Achaean

[ uh-kee-uhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Achaea or the Achaeans.
2. (in the Iliad ) Greek.

noun

1. an inhabitant of Achaea.
2. a Greek, especially a member of the Achaean League.
3. a member of one of the four main divisions of prehistoric Greeks, believed to have occupied the Peloponnesus and to have produced the Mycenaean culture. Compare Aeolian ²( def ), Dorian ¹( def 2 ), Ionian ( def 3 ).

Achaean

/ əˈkaɪən; əˈkiːən /

noun

1. a member of a principal Greek tribe in the Mycenaean era
2. a native or inhabitant of the later Greek province of Achaea

adjective

1. of or relating to Achaea or the Achaeans

Word History and Origins

Origin of Achaean¹

1560–70; < Latin Achae ( us ) (< Greek Achaiós, perhaps reflected in Hittite Ahhiyawa, a country alluded to in records of the late 2nd millennium b.c.) + -an

Example Sentences

I shall cite only the region of Greece as an example: the Romans kept the Achaeans and the Aetolians in check; they put down the Kingdom of Macedon; Antiochus was driven out.

From Literature

In Book II of the Iliad, the god sends Agamemnon, king of the Achaeans, a dream urging him to dispatch his men into battle, promising that this will end Troy’s siege.

From Washington Post

Or to know that the city-states, which comprise the Greek coalition opposing Troy, get several names — “Achaeans,” “Argives,” “Danaans,” deployed seemingly at random, all mean the same thing.

From Los Angeles Times

Though this is much earlier than the Iliad, of course, an epithet for the Greek warriors is common there: "Long haired Achaeans."

From New York Times

He’s the Achaeans’ absolute best warrior, the heart of the army.

From National Geographic