Greek-letter

English

Alternative forms

• Greek letter

Adjective

Greek-letter (not comparable)

1. (US) Of or relating to a fraternity, sorority, or honor society.
   • 1900, The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta, volume 24, page 29:

     Concerning the oldest Greek-letter society the author says: American Greek-letter college secret societies began with the formation of ΦΒΚ at the College of William and Mary...

   • 1917, The Deke Quarterly, volume 35, page 16:

     One of the most unique and impressive events in Greek-Letter life was the launching of the ΔΚΕ Club of New York City...

   • 1925, Oscar W. Firkins, Cyrus Northrop: A Memoir, page 79:

     As Linonia drew its members from all classes, and the Greek-letter society from only one, no single Greek-letter society could control a majority of the Linonians.

   • 1964, The Cross & Crescent, Vol. 51, Iss. 1, p. 12:

     The new home , the first Greek-letter house to be completed on the new fraternity-sorority row, certainly is one of the finest at the university.

   • 2015 March 15, Matthew W[indust] Hughey, “The University of Oklahoma Video, and the Problem Fraternities Can’t Fix Themselves”, in The New York Times‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-06-16:

     The history of fraternal organizations is one of exclusion. In the first part of the 19th century, the early days of fraternities in the United States, Greek-letter organizations mirrored student bodies — white, male, Christian children of privilege.

   • 2020 July 19, Rebecca Tan, “Black fraternities and sororities gather under searing heat on BLM Plaza”, in The Washington Post‎, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 August 2023:

     Organizers said they wanted the event to serve as an acknowledgment and, more importantly, a reminder of the origins of African American Greek-letter organizations, many of which were founded to resist racism in the early 20th century.

Usage notes

• The term may be used to describe fraternities and sororities generally, and honor societies in some cases, irrespective of whether the name of the organization actually contains letters of the Greek alphabet.

Derived terms

References