Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or relating to Greece, especially ancient Greece.
  • noun A native or inhabitant of ancient Greece.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to Greece; Greek.
  • noun A native of Greece; a Greek.
  • noun In the New Testament, a Hellenizing Jew.
  • noun One versed in or studying the Greek language.
  • noun One of the senior boys of Christ's Hospital. E. D.-
  • noun A gay, roystering fellow.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to Greece; Greek.
  • adjective [Collog.] among women, an affected carriage of the body, the upper part being inclined forward.
  • adjective See Greek fire, under Greek.
  • noun A native or naturalized inhabitant of Greece; a Greek.
  • noun A jew who spoke Greek; a Hellenist.
  • noun One well versed in the Greek language, literature, or history.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Greek
  • noun A native or inhabitant of Greece.
  • noun A senior pupil at Christ's Hospital School.
  • noun A Jew who spoke Greek; a Hellenist.
  • noun One well versed in the Greek language, literature, or history.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or relating to or characteristic of Greece or the Greeks or the Greek language
  • noun a native or resident of Greece

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin Graecia, Greece, from Graecus, Greek; see Greek.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Grecian.

Examples

  • The Grecian Coffee-house, Devereux-court, Strand, (closed in 1843) was named from Constantine, of Threadneedle street, the _Grecian_ who kept it.

    All About Coffee 1909

  • The term Grecian, or Hellenist, denotes a Jew by birth or religion who spoke Greek.

    Smith's Bible Dictionary 1884

  • Imbize, Ryhove, and such demagogues, at Ghent and elsewhere, with their wild theories of what they called Grecian, Roman, and Helvetian republicanism, had inflicted damage enough on the cause of freedom, and had paved the road for the return of royal despotism.

    PG Edition of Netherlands series — Complete John Lothrop Motley 1845

  • Imbize, Ryhove, and such demagogues, at Ghent and elsewhere, with their wild theories of what they called Grecian, Roman, and Helvetian republicanism, had inflicted damage enough on the cause of freedom, and had paved the road for the return of royal despotism.

    The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Complete (1555-84) John Lothrop Motley 1845

  • Imbize, Ryhove, and such demagogues, at Ghent and elsewhere, with their wild theories of what they called Grecian, Roman, and Helvetian republicanism, had inflicted damage enough on the cause of freedom, and had paved the road for the return of royal despotism.

    The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Complete (1574-84) John Lothrop Motley 1845

  • The murderous and mischievous pranks of Imbize, Ryhove, and such demagogues, at Ghent and elsewhere, with their wild theories of what they called Grecian, Roman, and Helvetian republicanism, had inflicted damage enough on the cause of freedom, and had paved the road for the return of royal despotism.

    The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Volume 31: 1580-82 John Lothrop Motley 1845

  • Evan Simms, an instructor who teaches what he calls Grecian jujitsu on a blue foam mat that stretches from end to end of a beige tent the size of a small house.

    unknown title 2009

  • But, curiously, neither God nor the devil may wear modern dress, but must retain Grecian vestments.

    Sinclair Lewis - Nobel Lecture 1930

  • Reviewing the life of Susan B. Anthony, I ever liken her to the Doric column in Grecian architecture, so simply, so grandly she stands, free from every extraneous ornament, supporting her one vast idea – the enfranchisement of woman.

    Eighty Years and More: Reminiscences 1815-1897 1898

  • A similar instance, in Grecian history, admonished the emperor of the honorable part prescribed for his imitation.

    The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 1206

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.