{"id":31685,"date":"2019-09-20T09:10:32","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T09:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atcorfu.com\/?p=31685"},"modified":"2024-09-08T17:44:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T17:44:45","slug":"you-speak-greek-you-just-dont-know-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atcorfu.com\/you-speak-greek-you-just-dont-know-it\/","title":{"rendered":"150,000 Greek Words in English: Full List with Meanings"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span> Last updated on September 8th, 2024 at 05:44 pm <\/p>

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Table of Contents<\/p>\nToggle<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

  • Influence of the Greek(Hellenic) language in today’s word<\/a>
    • English words of Greek origin<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
    • Some samples of English texts<\/a>
      • Sample 1<\/a><\/li>
      • Sample 2<\/a><\/li>
      • And an extreme example, understood by Academics<\/a><\/li>
      • List of Greek words in English<\/a><\/li>
      • For my fellow Musicians<\/a><\/li>
      • Language tips<\/a><\/li>
      • They are all Hellenic(Greek)<\/a><\/li>
      • Read More about Greece<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        Influence of the Greek(Hellenic) language in today’s word<\/h2>\n

        English words of Greek origin<\/h3>\n

        The Guinness Book of Records ranks the Hellenic language as the richest in the world<\/strong> with 5 million words and 70 million word types<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

        Hellenic roots are often used to coin new words for other languages<\/strong>, especially in the sciences<\/strong> and medicine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        Mathematics, physics, astronomy, democracy, philosophy, athletics, theatre, rhetoric, baptism<\/em>, and hundreds of other words are Hellenic(Greek), I bet that you all know that!<\/p>\n

        \"Parthenon\"<\/a>
        Parthenon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        Greek words and word elements continue to be productive as a basis for coinages<\/strong>: anthropology, photography, telephony, isomer, biomechanics, cinematography<\/em>, etc…<\/p>\n

        In a typical everyday 80,000-word English dictionary, about 5% of the words are directly borrowed from Greek<\/strong>; (for example, \u201cphenomenon<\/em>\u201d is a Hellenic word and even obeys Hellenic grammar rules as the plural is \u201cphenomena<\/em>\u201d), and another 25% are borrowed indirectly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        So, about 150,000 words<\/strong> in modern English have direct or indirect origins in the ancient Greek language.<\/p>\n

        This is because there were many Hellenic words borrowed from Latin originally<\/strong>, which then filtered down into English. <\/strong>After all,\u00a0English borrowed so many words from Latin (for example, \u201celaiwa<\/span><\/em>\u201d in Greek evolved into the Latin \u201coliva<\/em>\u201d, which in turn became \u201colive<\/em>\u201d in English).<\/p>\n

        So, 30% of English words are…Greek!<\/p>\n

        Hellenic and Latin are the predominant sources of the international scientific vocabulary<\/strong>, however, the percentage of words borrowed from Greek rises much higher than Latin when considering highly scientific vocabulary<\/strong> (for example, \u201coxytetracycline<\/em>\u201d is a medical term that has three Hellenic roots).<\/p>\n

        And finally, had you ever wondered how the world was going to be if the Greek language never existed? Or, Just imagine, if you strip the English language of its Greek, Latin, and French roots what will remain? A poor Germanic dialect.<\/p>\n

        However, We must acknowledge the English language’s ability to assimilate words from other languages. This adaptability, combined with its widespread use globally, has contributed to its status as today’s international language.<\/p>\n

        Most of the ideas in this article are borrowed from eurotalk.com<\/a>, so greetings belong to them.<\/p>\n

        \"Greek<\/a>
        Greek words in the English language<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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        So, did you know you can speak Greek?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n