Γραικός

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Uncertain origin. Aristotle wrote that it was an Illyrian word used to describe the Dorian tribes in Epirus, from Graii, an indigenous name of peoples in the coastal region.[1]

In modern scholarship, the name is traced to Γραῖα (Graîa), a city on the coast of Boeotia, a name given to the Greeks by the Romans, where they first met. The city's name itself means "grey", from Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂- (“to grow old”).[2]

Pronunciation

 

Adjective

Γραικός • (Graikós) m (feminine Γραική, neuter Γραικόν); first/second declension

  1. Greek

Declension

Proper noun

Γραικός • (Graikós) m (genitive Γραικοῦ); ? declension

  1. Graecus, a character in Greek mythology, said to be a son of Thessalos, the king of Phthia; or else a son of Pandora and Zeus.

Declension

Noun

Γραικός • (Graikós) m (genitive Γραικοῦ); ? declension

  1. a Graecian, a member of an ancient Boeotian tribe that migrated to Italy.

Declension

Descendants

References

  1. ↑ Aristotle, Μετεωρολογικά, I.xiv
  2. ↑ R. S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, p. 267.

Further reading

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Γραικός (Graikós)

Noun

Γραικός • (Graikós) m (plural Γραικοί)

  1. (obsolete) Greek

Usage notes

Declension

Synonyms

  • Έλληνας m (Éllinas)
  • Ρωμιός m (Romiós) (familiar, emotive term)
  • γραικικός (graikikós, “Greek”)
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