Ancient Greek
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Ancient Greek. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Ancient Greek, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Ancient Greek in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Ancient Greek you have here. The definition of the word Ancient Greek will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofAncient Greek, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Proper noun
- Any of the various forms of the Greek language of classical antiquity, particularly the classical Attic dialect used in Athenian literature.
Usage notes
- The period is roughly understood as spanning from the end of Mycenaean Greek during the 12th-century bc to the advent of Byzantine Greek following the fall of Rome in the 5th century ad. However, the term often excludes archaic forms (such as Homeric Greek) and late forms of the popular language (the "Koine", "Hellenistic", or "Biblical" Greek commonly spoken from the Hellenistic period onward and whose late forms are often indistinguishable from Byzantine Greek). Further, Ancient Greek continued to be used as a literary language throughout the Byzantine period and (to a lesser extent) into the present day.
- The term is also sometimes—as in ISO 639—used more generally for any premodern form of Greek, with a common cutoff date of 1453 (the Fall of Constantinople).
Synonyms
Meronyms
- Aeolic, Aeolic Greek
- Arcado-Cypriot, Arcadocypriot Greek
- Attic, Attic Greek
- Doric
- Epic Greek
- Homeric Greek
- Ionic, Ionic Greek
Translations
the Greek language of classical antiquity
|
See also
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Ancient Greek terms
- Appendix:Ancient Greek Swadesh list for a Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words in Ancient Greek
Noun
Ancient Greek (plural Ancient Greeks)
- A native or inhabitant of Ancient Greece.
Usage notes
- Usually, ancient is not capitalized in this sense.
Synonyms
Adjective
Ancient Greek (not comparable)
- Of or relating to Ancient Greece.
References
Ancient Greek on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - “Ancient Greek”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Further reading
- ISO 639-3 code grc (SIL)
- Ethnologue entry for Ancient Greek, grc
