Greekn.

Brit.

/ɡriːk/, U.S.

/ɡrik/

Forms: plural Old English Cré(a)cas, Gré(a)cas, Middle English Greckes, Orm. Grickess, Middle English Greks, Grekis, Middle English Grekys, Middle English–1500s Grekes, Middle English Grecys. singular Middle English ? Grece, 1500s Greke, 1500s–1600s Greeke, 1600s– Greek. See also grew n.²

Etymology: In branch I: The Old English Crécas plural, corresponds to Old High German Chrêch , Chriech (Middle High German Kriech ), Gothic Krêks < *Krêko-z , an early Germanic adoption of Latin Graecus , plural Graecī (see below), the name applied by the Romans to the people called by themselves Ἕλληνες . The substitution of k for g is commonly accounted for by the supposition that the Germanic initial g , when the word was adopted, still retained its original pronunciation /ɣ/, so that k would be the Germanic sound nearest to the Latin g . In all the Germanic languages the word was ultimately refashioned after Latin, with change of k into g ; hence Old English Grécas plural beside Crécas , Middle Dutch Grieke (Dutch Griek ), modern German Grieche , Old Norse Grikkir , plural. In branch II the noun is an absolute use of Greek adj.The Latin Graecī is < Greek Γραικοί, said by Aristotle ( Meteor. i. xiv) to have been the prehistoric name of the Hellenes in their original seats in Epirus. The word is apparently an adjectival derivative of Graius, which is used in Latin as a poetical synonym of Graecus. Recent scholars think the name may have been brought to Italy by colonists from Euboea, where there is some evidence of its having existed: see Busolt Gr. Gesch. I.² 198.

I. An inhabitant of Greece, and related uses.

a. A native or inhabitant of Greece; a member of the Greek people; a person of Greek descent.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Greece

Greekc893

Gregois13..

Griffon13..

Grewa1375

Hellene1482

Grecana1500

Argive?1532

Greciana1549

Hellenist1606

Greeklinga1637

Graecaster1716

Helladian1773

bubble and squeak1938

bubble1962

c893 tr. Orosius Hist. v. xii. §4 Þa foran hi on Crecas.

c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) iv. xxxii. [xxxi.] 378 Mid þa aðle geslægene..þe Grecas nemnað paralysis.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 17560 Forr werelld iss nemmnedd cossmos. Swa summ þe grickess kiþenn.

c1275 Laȝamon Brut 801 Leteþ þe Greckes [earlier text þa Grickisca] glide to grunde.

c1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. (1898) 66 Þe bigynynge of Philosophye hadden Indes, Grecys, Percys and Latyns.

1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xix. cxxviii. sig. nni/2 All rounde thynges ben callyd Mala amonge the Grekys [a1398 BL Add. among þe Greece].

1535 Bible (Coverdale) John xii. 20 There were certayne Grekes (among them that were come vp to Ierusalem to worshipe at the feast).

c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 40 Homer..Þat with the Grekys was gret.

1605 S. Daniel Ulisses & Siren 1 Come worthy Greeke, Ulisses, come.

1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. ii. §2 Those who were renowned among the Greeks for wisdome and learning.

1839 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. xiv. 216 The artful Greek..persuaded Darius of his innocence.

1842 J. C. Prichard Nat. Hist. Man 200 The Greeks are generally tall, and finely formed.

1871 J. Caird Univ. Serm. (1898) i. 19 The Greek with his hereditary love of freedom and art.

1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) III. 31 A Greek in the age of Plato.

b. Proverb. when Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war: the now usual perversion of Nathaniel Lee's line (see quot. 1677).

ΚΠ

1677 N. Lee Rival Queens iv. 48 When Greeks joyn'd Greeks, then was the tug of War.

1839 C. J. Lever Harry Lorrequer (1857) 104 When short whist for five-penny points sets in—then Greek meets Greek and we'll have it.

1863 C. Reade Hard Cash xxxv Meantime unknown to these bewildered ones, Greek was meeting Greek only a few yards off.

2. A member or adherent of the Greek Church.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > sect > Christianity > Greek Orthodoxy > [noun] > person

easternOE

Greekc1380

Easterling1536

Greciana1549

orientalist1683

fermentarian1775

Prozymite1850

orthodox1888

c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 332 Þe þridde maner & leste yuel, þat men seyn þat greks han, is þat þe prest preyeþ þat god assoyle hym.

c1547 S. Gardiner Let. 21 May in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 734/1 There is nothing more commended vnto vs christen men in both the churches of the grekes & lattens then lent is.

1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant 190 Both the Greeks and Romanists were extremely griev'd for the Loss of their Saint.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Of the Seven Latin Sacraments..the Greeks only admit five.

1885 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. (ed. 3) 389/2 The Greeks generally were averse to the addition of the ‘Filioque’, and to the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist.

1885 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. (ed. 3) 392/1 In addition to Lent, the Greeks keep the fast of ‘the Mother of God’.

†3. A Hellenized Jew; = Grecian n. 1b. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > Semite > [noun] > Jew > Hellenistic

Greekc1384

Grecian1611

Hellenist1614

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Greece > Grecian Jew

Greekc1384

Grecian1611

Hellenist1614

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds vi. 1 In tho dayes..grucchinge of Greekis is maad aȝens Ebrews.

1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. Acts vi. 1 Those Jews that understood the Greek Tongue, and used the Greek Translation of the Scripture, were called Greeks.

4. A cunning or wily person; a cheat, sharper, esp. one who cheats at cards. (Cf. French grec.)

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card-sharping or cheating > [noun] > card-sharper

Greek1528

cheaterc1555

packer1586

palmer1671

operator1731

card sharp1840

card-sharper1841

mechanic1897

sharpie1942

card shark2002

1528 Rede me & be nott Wrothe sig. i iiij In carde playinge he is a goode greke.

1568 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. ix. 217 A cowle, a cowle for such a Greek Were fitter for to wear.

1664 Floddan Field vii. 69 Giles Musgrave was a Guileful Greek.

1794 Sporting Mag. 3 227 The waiter pillages the greek, The greek the spendthrift fleeces.

1810 W. Combe Schoolmaster's Tour in Poet. Mag. Nov. 10 If I may with freedom speak, I take you for a very Greek.

1823 W. T. Moncrieff Tom & Jerry ii. v Come lads, bustle about; play will begin—some of the Pigeons are here already, the Greeks will not be long following.

1854 W. M. Thackeray Newcomes I. xxxvi. 361 He was an adventurer, a pauper, a blackleg, a regular Greek.

1884 Sat. Rev. 16 Feb. 202/1 Without a confederate the..game of baccarat does not seem to offer many chances for the Greek.

5. Qualified by merry, mad, gay: A merry fellow; a roysterer; a boon companion; a person of loose habits.See grig n.¹ 5; the relation between the two words is uncertain.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > social event > a merrymaking or convivial occasion > merrymaker > [noun] > habitual

fellowa1225

goodfellowa1393

Greek1536

boon companion1566

jovialist1596

Ephesian1600

Trojan1600

jolly dog1799

convivialist1810

boonfellow1876

fellow well met1885

jollier1896

1536 R. Morison Remedy for Sedition sig. 7^v Whom can they refuse, when smythes, coblers, tylers, carters, and such other gay grekes, seme worthy to be theyr gouernours?

a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) i. i. sig. A.ij^v (stage direct.) Mathewe Merygreeke. He entreth singing.

1583 G. Babington Very Fruitfull Expos. Commaundem. viii. 396 O hee is a merie greeke, a pleasaunt companion, and in faith a good fellowe.

c1600 Return: 1st Pt. i. i, in Three Parnassus Plays (1949) 148 Thou seems a mad greeke, & I haue loude such ladds of metall as thou seems to be from mine infancie.

1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iv. iv. 55 A wofull Cressid 'mongst the merry Greekes. ]

1611 H. Holland in T. Coryate Crudities sig. d8^v Vlysses was a merry Greeke they say, So Tom is, and the Greeker of the tway.

1635 T. Heywood Philocothonista 44 To title a drunkard by, wee..strive to character him in a more mincing and modest phrase; as thus:—Hee is a good fellow, or A boone Companion, A mad Greeke, A true Trojan.

1650 J. Howell Cotgrave's French-Eng. Dict. (rev. ed.) Ep. Ded. sig. a3^v They tearm in French, a boon companion or merry greek, Roger bon temps.

1694 P. A. Motteux Wks. F. Rabelais (1737) v. 216 Merry-Greeks with crimson Snouts.

6. slang. An Irishman. (Cf. Grecian adj. and n.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Irish > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Ireland

IrishmanOE

Ireis1297

hooded mana1464

Mac1518

Irish1553

Teague?1661

bog-trotter1682

Milesian1682

dear joy1688

Teaguelander1689

paddy1714

bog-lander1736

bog-stalkera1758

brogueneer1758

paddywhack1773

Pat1796

West Briton1805

Irisher1807

Patlander1820

Greek1823

Mick1850

redneck1852

Grecian1853

mickeyc1854

Mike1859

harp1904

1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang Greek—Irishmen call themselves Greeks—none else follow the same track to the east; throughout this land, many unruly districts are termed Grecian.

1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 226/2 We had the Greeks (the lately-arrived Irish) down upon us more than once.

1872 Standard 3 Sept. 5/2 ‘Greek’, as some of your readers are aware, is colonial slang for ‘Irish’.

II. [absolute use of the adjective: see etymology.]

7. The ancient or modern language of Greece; the Greek language. Also, a particular form or period of the language, as late Greek, Ionic Greek, modern Greek.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Greek

Greekishc1050

Grewc1275

Greeka1400

Hellenic1741

c975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxvii. 46 Hælend miclæ stefnæ cwæþende in grec [MS. gc] god min god min for-whon forletes þu mec.]

a1400–50 Alexander 5009 Sothly..þe son-tree..Entris in with yndoyes & endis in greke.

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) Prol. 2 Suffise to the thise trewe conclusiouns in englissh, as wel as suffisith to thise noble clerkes grekes thise same conclusiouns in grek.

c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) ii. 10 The Table aboven his Heved..on the whiche the Title was writen, in Ebreu, Grece and Latyn.

1534 T. Starkey Let. in Eng. in Reign Henry VIII (1878) i. p. x The knolege of both tongys bothe latyn & greke.

?1573 L. Lloyd Pilgrimage of Princes f. 71^v Cato being aged, in his last yeres went to schoole to Enneus, to learne the Greeke.

1623 B. Jonson in W. Shakespeare Comedies, Hist. & Trag. sig. A4 And though thou hadst small Latine, and lesse Greeke.

1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. i. i. §3. 3 The Greek was anciently of very great extent, not onely in Europe, but in Asia too, and Afric.

1700 L. Maidwell in C. R. L. Fletcher Collectanea (1885) I. 310 Masters for Græc and Latin.

1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 16 Mar. (1965) I. 390 In Pera they speak Turkish, Greek, Hebrew [etc.].

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Modern or Vulgar Greek, is the Language now spoke in Greece.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) 'Tis not easy to assign the precise Difference between the vulgar, and the antient Greek.

1866 E. Masson tr. G. B. Winer Gram. New Testament Diction (ed. 6) Introd. 15 The Grammar of Later Greek..has not..been completely and systematically investigated.

1899 Oxf. Univ. Cal. 15 The Regius Professor of Greek.

8. Unintelligible speech or language, gibberish. Also heathen Greek (rarely Hebrew-Greek). (Cf. Hebrew n. 2b.) St. Giles's Greek: slang.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > absence of meaning > nonsense, rubbish > unintelligible language, gibberish > [noun]

jargon1340

gibberishc1557

fustiana1593

hibber-gibber1593

rabble?1593

gabbling1599

rantum-scantum1599

ribble-rabble1601

gabble1602

High Dutch1602

Greek1603

baragouin1614

galimatias1653

riddle-me-ree1678

clink-clank1679

Hebrew1705

alieniloquy1727

jabber1735

mumbo-jumbo1738

gibbering1786

rigmarole1809

gibber1832

rigmarolery1833

Babelism1834

jargoning1837

barrikin1851

abracadabra1867

double Dutch1876

jabberwock1902

jabberwocky1908

jibber-jabber1922

mumbo-jumbery1923

mumbo1931

double-talk1938

garbology1944

the mind > language > a language > register > [noun] > slang

St. Giles's Greek1785

slum1812

slang1818

slanguage1879

1603 T. Dekker et al. Patient Grissill sig. C Far... Asking for some greeke Poet, to him he falles..but Ile be sworne he knowes not so much as one Character of the tongue. Ric. Why then its greeke to him.

1612 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. v. sig. F Svb. Is Ars sacra..A Heathen language? Ana. Heathen Greeke, I take it. Svb. How? Heathen Greeke? Ana. All's Heathen, but the Hebrew.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. ii. 279–84 He spoke Greeke..those that vnderstood him, smil'd at one another, and shooke their heads: but..it was Greeke to me.

1647 A. Cowley Discretion in Mistress ii Joynture, Portion, Gold, Estate..Are Greek no Lovers understand.

1769 J. Wesley Jrnl. 1 July (1827) III. 360 I knew this was heathen Greek to them.

1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue Greek. St. Giles's Greek, the slang lingo, cant, or gibberish.

1827 P. Cunningham Two Years New S. Wales II. xxi. 59 A number of the slang phrases current in St. Giles's Greek.

1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge i. 235 I am a stranger, and this is Greek to me.

1886 F. H. Doyle Reminisc. 239 As unintelligible to the person addressed as if it had been Hebrew-Greek.

1892 Nation (N.Y.) 7 July 13/1 Schubert clothed his melodies in wondrous harmonies, which were ‘Greek’ to his contemporaries.

9. plural. Typography. Greek characters or types.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > printing > types, blocks, or plates > relating to type > style of type > [noun] > type face or font > Greek faces

Greeks1894

Porson1894

1894 W. G. Rutherford in Class. Rev. 82 Believing that the new Greeks are likely to be..widely adopted.

Compounds

General attributive. (See also Greek adj. 2.)

C1. (In sense 1.)

Greek-peopled adj.

ΚΠ

1896 Westm. Gaz. 11 Nov. 2/2 The Greek-peopled islands.

Greek speaking adj.

ΚΠ

1898 Daily News 6 Oct. 3/1 There are Greek-speaking villages in Syria.

C2. (In sense 7.)

Greek factory n.

ΚΠ

1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xii. 205 Oxford is a Greek factory, as Wilton mills weave carpet.

Derivatives

ˈGreekess n. a female Greek, a Greek woman.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Greece > woman

Greekess1660

1660 Bp. J. Taylor Ductor Dubitantium I. iv. ii. 140 Jupiter, to whom a Greek and a Greekess..were yearly offered.

1902 J. London Let. 3 Mar. (1966) 277 Charmian sends her love to Greek and Greekess and all the Crowd.

ˈGreekless adj. having no Greek; without knowledge of Greek.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > want of knowledge, ignorance > [adjective] > ignorant of something > of Greek

Greekless1891

1891 Q. Rev. Jan. 217 An appreciable number of Greekless boys wish to go to the Universities.

1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Dec. 3/2 It is intended apparently to institute a Cambridge B.Sc. degree for which there shall be a Greekless Little-Go.

Draft additions March 2006

U.S. College slang. A member of a fraternity or sorority, esp. one with a name composed of Greek letters; cf. Greek adj. Additions.

ΚΠ

1888 N.Y. Times 24 Nov. 3/3 A ‘Greek’ theoretically will go a long ways to do something for a ‘Frater’.

1949 Time 21 Mar. 47/2 Non-fraternity men, who outnumber the Greeks two to one, held a mass meeting.

2003 D. Williams-Wheeler Be my Sorority Sister 14 They are hard working students. They are not like a lot of those other Greeks.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

Greekadj.

Brit.

/ɡriːk/, U.S.

/ɡrik/

Forms: Also Middle English–1500s Greke, 1500s Scottish Greik, 1500s–1600s Greeke, (1700s Græc).

Etymology: < Greek n., under the influence of Latin Graecus and French grec adjectives, of which it might indeed be regarded as a direct adoption. It is not recorded before the 14th cent., and did not supplant Greekish adj. and n. in general use until the 17th cent.

a. Of or pertaining to Greece or its people; Hellenic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [adjective]

Grecana1400

Greekc1400

Gregion1513

Greekisha1568

Grecian1577

Grecanic1601

pan-Ionian1613

Hellenic1644

Grecanical1678

Hellenian1740

Helladian1773

Helladic1779

Greek-like1847

Panhellenic1849

pan-Ionic1855

Graecized1860

Greekesquea1878

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) Prol. 2 Thise noble clerkes grekes.

1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour l. 1993 in Wks. (1931) I The auld Greik Historitiane Diodorus.

1674 H. Prideaux Lett. (1875) 23 I will determin all cronologicall controversys which have been ever moved in the Greeke history.

1832 Ld. Tennyson Œnone in Poems (new ed.) 64 I will not die alone,..leaving my ancient love With the Greek woman.

1872 J. Ruskin Eagle's Nest §168 Every Greek hero called himself chiefly by his paternal name.

b. Of buildings, works of art, physiognomy, etc.: Resembling what prevailed in Greece, Grecian.

ΚΠ

1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess Prol. 2 And me that morning Walter show'd the house, Greek, set with busts.

1888 F. Hume Madame Midas i. iii. 28 The straight Greek nose.

a. As the designation of a language (see Greek n. 7). Hence, of words, idioms, grammar, etc.: Belonging to or characteristic of the Greek language. Of literary compositions: Written in the Greek language. Greek fathers n. those early Christian fathers (see father n. 8b) who wrote in Greek. (In uses like Greek professor, Greek scholar, the word is perhaps in most cases to be regarded as the noun used attributively.)

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adjective] > Indo-European > Greek

Greekishc900

Grewc1400

Greek1548

Grecanic1601

Grecanical1678

Helladian1773

society > faith > aspects of faith > patristics > Fathers of the Church > [noun]

doctorc1390

church father1654

Greek fathers1711

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. i. Pref. sig. 14^v The Greke diuines.

?1573 L. Lloyd Pilgrimage of Princes f. 71^v Terentius Varro was almost furtie yere olde, before he tooke a Greeke booke in hande, and yet prooued excellent in the Greeke tongue.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) ii. i. 100 This small packet of Greeke and Latine bookes.

1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 2 The ill habit..of wretched barbarizing against the Latin and Greek idiom, with their untutor'd Anglicisms.

1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 162 Stout Defenders of the Faith..that..are ready to make their own Testament, if they see a Greek one.

1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks III. Misc. v. i. 241 A foreign Protestant Divine, and most learn'd Defender of Religion, making the best Excuse he can for the Greek-Fathers.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) In the living Tongues, are still preserved a vast Number of Greek Terms of Arts.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Accent Wetstein, Greek Professor at Basil.

a1831 J. Stoddart Gram. in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) I. 164/1 The Greek or Latin construction.

1838 Penny Cycl. XI. 435/1 Such doctrines as..were confirmed by the Greek fathers of the church.

1866 E. Masson tr. G. B. Winer Gram. New Testament Diction (ed. 6) Introd. 15 The Greek diction of the sacred writers.

1866 E. Masson tr. G. B. Winer Gram. New Testament Diction (ed. 6) Introd. 21 It was in classical Greek philology that this pernicious empiricism was first exploded.

1895 W. A. Copinger in Trans. Bibliogr. Soc. 2 ii. 111 Lascaris's Greek Grammar was probably the first book printed in Greek characters.

b. Greek letter fraternity, Greek letter order, Greek letter society (U.S.): a club of students, denoted by two or three Greek letters; as the Phi Beta Kappa (ϕ β κ) society.

ΚΠ

1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. III. cii. 454 The absence of colleges constituting social centres within a university has helped to develop..the Greek letter societies.

1894 H. H. Gardener Unofficial Patriot x. 146 He encouraged them to join the..Greek letter orders which admitted discussion of such topics.

1898 B'ham Weekly Post 22 Jan. 3/4 This [Kansas] farmer was a Greek-letter fraternity man.

3. The distinctive epithet of that section of the Christian Church (commonly known also as the Eastern Church (Eastern Church n.) or (Holy) Orthodox Church, and now representing the major Christian denominations of Greece, Russia, and other Eastern European countries), which acknowledge the primacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople and which finally formally renounced communion with the Roman see in the 11th cent. a.d. Also applied to its clergy, rites, buildings, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > sect > Christianity > Greek Orthodoxy > [adjective]

Greek1564

eastern1572

Greciana1600

Greekish1606

Abassian1679

Anatolian1679

Eastern Orthodox1701

orthodox1716

Anatolic1839

1564 T. Becon New Catech. in Wks. 433 I passe ouer the other auncient fathers and doctours bothe of the Greke and Latin churches.

a1600 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie (1648) vi. 38 The Greek Church first, and in processe of time the Latin altred this order [of public penitence].

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Romanists call the Greek Church, the Greek Schism.

1838 Penny Cycl. XI. 435/2 The Greek convents follow the strict rule of St. Basilius.

1838 Penny Cycl. XI. 436/1 The Greek church under the Turkish dominion has preserved almost entirely its antient organization.

1877 A. W. Thorold in Good Words 17 The iconostas, or screen, which in Greek churches separates the body of the church from the sanctuary.

4. In specific names of plants and animals, as Greek tortoise, Greek valerian: see the nouns; also Greek nettle. Greek partridge n. of Southern Europe (the original Greek-Latin πέρδιξ, perdix), Alectoris graeca. Greek rose n. [translation of Latin rosa graeca] a book-name for the Campion.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Caryophyllaceae (chickweeds and allies) > [noun] > campion and ragged robin

cow-rattle14..

campion1576

behen1578

crowsoap1578

white campion1578

catchfly1597

feather-top wild campion1597

frothy poppy1597

lime-wort1597

nonsuch1597

sea campion1597

spattling poppy (also campion)1597

Greek rose1601

lychnis1601

knap-bottle1640

moss pink1641

Lobel's catchfly1664

red robin1678

moss campion1690

red campion1728

round robin1741

Silene1751

Nottingham catchfly1762

silenal1836

Robin Hood1844

thunder-flower1853

gunpowder weed1860

sea-catchfly1864

robin redbreast1880

poppy1886

thunderbolt1886

rattleweed1893

cancer1896

bladder-campion-

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball 129 The first kind is now called..in English Greek or Romayne Nettel.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 83 The Rose Campion, which our men call the Greeke Rose, and the Greekes name Lychnis.

Compounds

In specific names of things of actual or attributed Greek origin or referred to Greek style or usage:

Greek braid n. braid arranged in the pattern of a fret (see fret n.¹ 3b).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > ornamental textiles > ornamental trimmings > [noun] > braid > specific

parchment lace1542

lace1548

lacing1593

Naples lace1612

mignonette1721

struntain1793

French braid1809

lacet1822

Russia braid1825

Russian braid1839

soutache1856

mignardise1868

galloon1877

rickrack1880

Greek braid1894

vermicelli braid1904

tracing-braid1906

Paris binding1918

oak-leaf braid1934

1894 H. Nisbet Bush Girl's Romance 251 She..began touching the Greek-braid ornament on the edge of her skirt with trembling fingers.

Greek bread n. a kind of cake or biscuit.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > cake > [noun] > a cake > other cakes

honey appleeOE

barley-cake1393

seed cakea1400

cake?a1425

pudding-cake?1553

manchet1562

biscuit cake1593

placent1598

poplin1600

jumbal1615

bread pudding1623

semel1643

wine-cakea1661

Shrewsbury cake1670

curd cake1675

fruitcake1687

clap-bread1691

simnel cake1699

orange-flower cake1718

banana cake1726

sweet-cake1726

torte1748

Naples cake1766

Bath cake1769

gofer1769

yeast-cake1795

nutcake1801

tipsy-cake1806

cruller1808

baba1813

lady's finger1818

coconut cake1824

mint cake1825

sices1825

cup-cake1828

batter-cake1830

buckwheat1830

Dundee seed cake1833

fat-cake1839

babka1846

wonder1848

popover1850

cream-cake1855

sly-cake1855

dripping-cake1857

lard-cake1858

puffet1860

quick cake1865

barnbrack1867

matrimony cake1871

brioche1873

Nelson cake1877

cocoa cake1883

sesame cake1883

marinade1888

mystery1889

oblietjie1890

stuffed monkey1892

Greek bread1893

Battenberg1903

Oswego cake1907

nusstorte1911

dump cake1912

Dobos Torte1915

lekach1918

buckle1935

Florentine1936

hash cake1967

space cake1984

1893 D. Radford Autobiogr. 24 Greek bread forced into fingers through a mould by pressure.

Greek Calends n. (see calends n. 3b).

Greek chorus n. transferred. Used in comparisons, etc., to indicate the wise, sympathetic comments or open wailing of the chorus in Attic tragedies (see chorus n. 1).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > [noun] > personification of lamentation

Greek chorus1863

the mind > emotion > compassion > [noun] > sympathy > sympathetic person(s) > persons commenting sympathetically

Greek chorus1863

1863 F. Nightingale in C. Woodham-Smith F. Nightingale (1951) xvii. 291 She [sc. Queen Victoria] always reminds me of the woman in the Greek chorus..wailing out her inexpressible despair.

1893 E. F. Benson Dodo I. iii. 56 He had no desire to interrupt this rapid monologue of Dodo's. He was quite content to play the part of the Greek chorus.

1913 J. Vaizey College Girl xxiii. 319 Hannah, as Greek Chorus, interposed moral remarks.

1947 A. Huxley Let. 9 Mar. (1969) 568 I visualize him as a kind of philosophical recluse, who comments upon all that is happening from the vantage ground of eternity, and acts as a kind of Greek chorus.

1962 J. Braine Life at Top v. 78 ‘You show him, Killer. You show him.’ It was like a Greek chorus.

Greek cross n. (see cross n. 18).

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > cross > [noun] > other types of cross

potencec1460

cross patonce1562

entrailed1562

Avellan1610

Greek cross1725

Latin cross1797

pendall?1828

spindle cross1828

Irish cross1832

cross patée1844

Celtic cross1857

Teutonic cross1882

1725 J. Henley tr. B. de Montfaucon Antiq. Italy (ed. 2) 20 The Church is built in the shape of a Greek Cross.

1847 J. Yeowell Chron. Anc. Brit. Church xii. 135 Greek crosses; that is, having four short equal limbs.

Greek embroidery n. (see quot.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > embroidery or ornamental sewing > other types of embroidery

cutwork1470

Alexandrinec1500

loose work1548

Irish stitch1560

opus anglicumc1840

opus anglicanum1848

chikan1858

straw embroidery1862

Greek embroidery1882

Hardanger1904

Assisi1923

hedebo1932

1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 226/2 Greek Embroidery. This is a modern work..and consists in arranging upon a flat foundation pieces of coloured cloth or silk, in arabesque designs, and attaching these to the material with Chain, Herringbone, and other Embroidery stitches.

Greek fire n. a combustible composition for setting fire to an enemy's ships, works, etc.; so called from being first used by the Greeks of Constantinople.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > fire, radiation, or chemical weapons > [noun] > fire as weapon

fire?c1225

Greek fire?c1225

Greekish fire?c1225

wildfire1297

firework1528

liquid firea1616

dragoon1626

fire chemise1728

Grecian fire1774

chemise-

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 295 Þis grickisch fur is þeluue Iesu vre lauerd.

1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 136 Her eyen sparklyng and brennyng as fyre Grekyssh.

1828 P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. (1864) I. 80 [Edward I] gave orders for the employment of a new and dreadful instrument of destruction, the Greek fire, with which he had probably become acquainted in the East.

1850 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1872) 3rd Ser. i. 9 It is like the Greek fire used in ancient warfare, which burnt unquenched beneath the water.

1855 J. Hewitt Anc. Armour I. 90 The receipt for the composition of the Greek Fire may be found in the Treatise of Marcus Grecus.

Greek fret n. = fret n.¹ 3b.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > geometric

checkingc1440

checkc1450

chequer-work1519

pane?a1549

diaper-work1602

chevron1605

diapery1631

fret1664

tooth-work1681

polygram1696

chequer1779

reticulum1797

Grecque1832

checkery1837

gammadion1848

diaper1851

key pattern1853

diapering1866

Greek fret1872

rangoli1884

geometric1894

Greek key1897

step pattern1908

Mondrian1964

1872 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera II. xxiii. 8 The pattern known as the ‘Greek fret’.

Greek gift n. a gift covering some act of treachery, with allusion to Virgil Æn. ii. 49, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > snare, trap, entanglement > [noun] > purporting to be gift

Trojan horse1574

wooden horse1622

Grecian horse1802

Greek gift1885

society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > undutifulness > treachery > [noun] > gift concealing treachery

Trojan horse1574

Greek gift1885

1885 Times (Weekly ed.) 27 Nov. 11/3 [It] would be worse than a Greek gift.

Greek god n. (a) in extended sense and in comparisons used to denote a paragon of male physical beauty; (b) a short hairstyle with curls close to and all over the head.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > [noun] > beautiful thing or person > beautiful person > beautiful man or boy

Cupidc1381

narcissusc1385

Ganymede?1566

Adonis?1571

Greek goda1910

beefcake1949

the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > curled or frizzed style

frizz1668

bullhead1672

bull1699

buckle1711

frizzle1850

cataract curls1864

Niagara1864

water wave1876

marcel wave1895

permanent wave1906

Greek goda1910

marcel1921

finger wave1925

permanent1926

perm1927

home perm1949

Afro1967

natural1967

Jewfro1976

Jheri curl1977

bubble perm1992

a1910 W. F. Butler Autobiogr. (1911) iii. 42 I often look now as soldiers pass and marvel what has become of those old Greek gods.

1955 E. Coxhead Figure in Mist iv. 106 It was irritating that Greek gods should drop off the bus and suddenly reduce Matthew to insignificance.

1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 193 Greek god, introduced in 1967, a close haircut with flat curls all over the head as seen in statues of Apollo.

1968 Guardian 7 Oct. 7/1 They will give you Greek god treatment, a tight mass of tiny curls.

1969 G. Sims Sand Dollar v. 72 He emerged from the sea looking like a Greek god, his hair bleached nearly white.

1970 ‘O. John’ Diamond Dress viii. 90 Don't stand there like some Greek god! You've got about three minutes in which to get dressed.

Greek key n. (also Greek design, Greek pattern) = Greek fret n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > geometric

checkingc1440

checkc1450

chequer-work1519

pane?a1549

diaper-work1602

chevron1605

diapery1631

fret1664

tooth-work1681

polygram1696

chequer1779

reticulum1797

Grecque1832

checkery1837

gammadion1848

diaper1851

key pattern1853

diapering1866

Greek fret1872

rangoli1884

geometric1894

Greek key1897

step pattern1908

Mondrian1964

1897 Daily News 16 Jan. 6/5 Tailor-made gowns are finished on the skirt with three or five rows of braiding, usually in trefoil or Greek key pattern.

1897 Westm. Gaz. 2 Sept. 3/2 Its trimmings..running in vertical lines that end in Greek keys.

1899 Daily News 19 Apr. 2/1 A Greek key design in sugarwork.

Greek lace n. = Greek point n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > consisting of loops or looped stitches > lace > needle or point > types of

point de Venise1668

French point1675

point d'Espagne1676

Alençon lace1774

point de France1774

point-net1829

rose-point1832

point de Paris1840

point d'Alençon1842

point d'Argentan1842

Irish point1851

point d'aiguille1851

point de gaze1863

Venetian point1864

Burano lace1865

Greek lace1865

gros point1865

mermaid's lace1865

point de neige1865

punto a rilievo1865

punto in aria1865

Regency point1865

Venice point1865

point de reprise1872

point russe1872

Greek point1882

hollie point1882

Venetian raised point1882

point de minute1886

point de Sorrentoc1890

1865 F. B. Palliser Hist. Lace v. 74 The greater part of the conventionally termed Greek lace is really the Venetian reticella; the designs are of geometric fashion, and often of Oriental character.

1880 L. Higgin Handbk. Embroidery 63 Design for quilt... To introduce squares of Greek or guipure lace.

1960 H. Hayward Connoisseur's Handbk. Antique Collecting 134/1 ‘Greek lace’, a name given to drawn and cut work embroidery, often combined with geometrical needlepoint or pillow lace.

Greek masonry n. (see quots.).

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > disposition of stones or bricks > [noun] > types of disposition of stones

emplecton1601

isodomon1601

pseudisodomon1601

net-masonry1706

Greek masonry1728

longs and shorts1884

random1886

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Masonry Greek Masonry,..is that where, after we have laid two Stones, each of which makes a Course, another is laid at the end, which makes two Courses.

1847 A. C. Smeaton Builder's Pocket Man. (new ed.) 107 Greek masonry is that..where every alternate stone..is made of the whole thickness of the wall.

Greek ornament n. braid arranged in the pattern of a fret (see fret n.¹ 3b).

† Greek pitch n. [Latin pix Graeca] Obsolete = colophony n.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > processed resinous materials > [noun] > distilled from turpentine

colophonya1398

Colophonian resin1601

Greek pitch1657

colophane1838

1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden cclix. [414] The Pomanders, Chaines and Bracelets that are made of..Greek-pitch are effectuall to warm the brain.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Pitch Greek-Pitch, or Spanish Pitch, is that boil'd in Water till it have lost its natural Smell.

Greek point n. a kind of needle-made lace.

ΘΚΠ

point de Venise1668

French point1675

point d'Espagne1676

Alençon lace1774

point de France1774

point-net1829

rose-point1832

point de Paris1840

point d'Alençon1842

point d'Argentan1842

Irish point1851

point d'aiguille1851

point de gaze1863

Venetian point1864

Burano lace1865

Greek lace1865

gros point1865

mermaid's lace1865

point de neige1865

punto a rilievo1865

punto in aria1865

Regency point1865

Venice point1865

point de reprise1872

point russe1872

Greek point1882

hollie point1882

Venetian raised point1882

point de minute1886

point de Sorrentoc1890

1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 227/1 Greek Point. Also known as Roman Lace.. This needle made lace is one of the earliest made, being worked in the Ionian Isles..during the fifteenth century.

Derivatives

Greeˈkesque adj. [compare Italian grechesco] resembling what is Greek.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [adjective]

Grecana1400

Greekc1400

Gregion1513

Greekisha1568

Grecian1577

Grecanic1601

pan-Ionian1613

Hellenic1644

Grecanical1678

Hellenian1740

Helladian1773

Helladic1779

Greek-like1847

Panhellenic1849

pan-Ionic1855

Graecized1860

Greekesquea1878

a1878 G. G. Scott Lect. Mediæval Archit. (1879) I. 100 In the nave of Nôtre Dame every vestige of this Greekesque foliage is got rid of.

ˈGreekified adj. [see -fy suffix] rendered Greek in style or character, fashioned on a Greek model.

† Greekly adv. Obsolete in a Greek fashion; in the Greek language.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adverb] > in a Greek fashion

Greekly1620

Hellenistically1646

Greekishly1831

1620 T. Granger Syntagma Logicum 292 I say of the same kinde Greekely termed homogeneous.

1654 R. Vilvain tr. Enchiridium Epigr. i. lxxxiv T' hav the books of the old Testament Greecly transfer'd.

ˈGreekness n. Greek character or quality.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [noun] > quality or character of

Graecism1609

Hellenism1728

Greeknessa1861

neohellenism1879

a1861 E. B. Browning Lett. R. H. Horne (1877) II. liv. 96 The necessary name ‘Psyche’ drew me towards the propriety of holding a certain Greekness in the other names.

1874 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera (1896) II. xliii. 388 The Greeks sometimes got their own way, as a mob; but nobody, meaning to talk of liberty, calls it ‘Greekness’.

Draft additions March 2006

U.S. Of, relating to, or designating college fraternities or sororities, esp. those with names composed of Greek letters (cf. sense 2b).

ΘΚΠ

society > education > learning > learner > college or university student > [adjective] > student society

Unionic1849

Greek1881

fratty1898

1881 N.Y. Times 4 Dec. 2/4 Judge Vinton decided what are known as the ‘Greek fraternity’ cases, holding that the rule of the Faculty..,excluding the members of such societies from the university, was within the limits of their lawful discretion.

1901 H. D. Sheldon Student Life & Customs 169 The O. K. Society arose from an opposition to the Greek fraternity system at Harvard in the year 1858.

1938 Nebraska State Jrnl. 20 Sept. 6/4 I have never inquired as to the exact dues and living expenses at Greek houses, but I have heard they vary from $35 to $70 a month.

2001 T. D. Chandler in A. J. D'Angelo et al. Inspiration for Greeks 57 Being Greek has certainly opened doors for me professionally..but perhaps the greatest gift is the cherished friendships with members of other Greek organizations.

Draft additions June 2001

Greek salad n. a salad of a style originating in Greece, typically containing olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion, dressed with olive oil and often lemon juice or vinegar.

ΚΠ

1921 C. A. Patterson Lunch Room as Money Maker 79 (advt.) Here you can obtain pleasing delicacies..on ‘Meatless Days’... For instance, Crab Meat Salad..Potato Salad..Greek Salad.

1950 F. Venos & L. Pritchard Can the Greeks Cook! 15 A beautiful sight to see..is a colorful Greek salad tastefully arranged on a large platter.

1977 Washington Post (Nexis) 7 Apr. (Maryland Weekly section) 12 I passed up the barbecued spare ribs dinner..in favor of souvlaki... This was marinated chunks of beef and Greek salad served on pita bread.

1998 P. Cornwell Point of Origin (1999) 167 ‘One Greek salad’, I said. ‘And a chicken gyro in pita.’

Draft additions June 2015

Greek yogurt n. thick yogurt which has been strained to remove much of the whey.

ΚΠ

1968 Illustr. London News 28 Sept. 19/3 Greek herbs, ‘live Greek yogurt’ (the best in London), Greek wines and ouzos.

1987 E. Ronay Bird's Eye Guide Healthy Eating Out 129 Puds include thick greek yoghurt, fresh fruit salad and berry fruits in season.

2012 New Yorker 22 Oct. 14/3 Arctic-char crudo laced with cilantro oil and encircled by daubs of Greek yogurt and cucumber.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

† Greekv.

Etymology: < Greek n. Compare Latin Graecārī.

Obsolete.

1. to Greek it: to follow the practice of the Greeks; to play the Greek scholar.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > branch of knowledge > humanistic studies > improve the mind, cultivate [verb (transitive)] > play the classical scholar

to Greek it1615

1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 79 [Drinking]..sometimes as many together as there were letters contained in the names of their mistresses..Insomuch that those were prouerbially said to greeke it that quaft in that fashion.

1660 W. Durham Life R. Harris 14 The Bishop..tries his Examinate a little in Divinity, but most in other Learning and Greek, where the Bishops strength lay, but so long they both Greeked it, till at last they were both scoted, and to seek for words.

1799 E. Dubois Piece Family Biogr. II. 20 As to the t'other dead fellow, I never could greek it at all, that's flat.

2. Only in gerund and verbal noun: To cheat at cards. (Cf. Greek n. 4) slang.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card-sharping or cheating > [verb (intransitive)]

Greek1817

1817 Sporting Mag. 50 284 A discovery of Greeking at Brighton, has made considerable noise this month in the sporting world.

1819 F. MacDonogh Hermit in London III. 263 Then greeking transactions came on the tapis.

1825 C. M. Westmacott Eng. Spy II. 247 (note) Elements of Greeking.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online March 2021).

n.c893

adj.?c1225

v.1615

单词	greek
释义	Greekn. Brit. /ɡriːk/, U.S. /ɡrik/ Forms: plural Old English Cré(a)cas, Gré(a)cas, Middle English Greckes, Orm. Grickess, Middle English Greks, Grekis, Middle English Grekys, Middle English–1500s Grekes, Middle English Grecys. singular Middle English ? Grece, 1500s Greke, 1500s–1600s Greeke, 1600s– Greek. See also grew n.² Etymology: In branch I: The Old English Crécas plural, corresponds to Old High German Chrêch , Chriech (Middle High German Kriech ), Gothic Krêks < Krêko-z , an early Germanic adoption of Latin Graecus* , plural Graecī (see below), the name applied by the Romans to the people called by themselves Ἕλληνες . The substitution of k for g is commonly accounted for by the supposition that the Germanic initial g , when the word was adopted, still retained its original pronunciation /ɣ/, so that k would be the Germanic sound nearest to the Latin g . In all the Germanic languages the word was ultimately refashioned after Latin, with change of k into g ; hence Old English Grécas plural beside Crécas , Middle Dutch Grieke (Dutch Griek ), modern German Grieche , Old Norse Grikkir , plural. In branch II the noun is an absolute use of Greek adj.The Latin Graecī is < Greek Γραικοί, said by Aristotle ( Meteor. i. xiv) to have been the prehistoric name of the Hellenes in their original seats in Epirus. The word is apparently an adjectival derivative of Graius, which is used in Latin as a poetical synonym of Graecus. Recent scholars think the name may have been brought to Italy by colonists from Euboea, where there is some evidence of its having existed: see Busolt Gr. Gesch. I.² 198. I. An inhabitant of Greece, and related uses. 1. a. A native or inhabitant of Greece; a member of the Greek people; a person of Greek descent. ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Greece Greekc893 Gregois13.. Griffon13.. Grewa1375 Hellene1482 Grecana1500 Argive?1532 Greciana1549 Hellenist1606 Greeklinga1637 Graecaster1716 Helladian1773 bubble and squeak1938 bubble1962 c893 tr. Orosius Hist. v. xii. §4 Þa foran hi on Crecas. c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) iv. xxxii. [xxxi.] 378 Mid þa aðle geslægene..þe Grecas nemnað paralysis. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 17560 Forr werelld iss nemmnedd cossmos. Swa summ þe grickess kiþenn. c1275 Laȝamon Brut 801 Leteþ þe Greckes [earlier text þa Grickisca] glide to grunde. c1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. (1898) 66 Þe bigynynge of Philosophye hadden Indes, Grecys, Percys and Latyns. 1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xix. cxxviii. sig. nni/2 All rounde thynges ben callyd Mala amonge the Grekys [a1398 BL Add. among þe Greece]. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) John xii. 20 There were certayne Grekes (among them that were come vp to Ierusalem to worshipe at the feast). c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 40 Homer..Þat with the Grekys was gret. 1605 S. Daniel Ulisses & Siren 1 Come worthy Greeke, Ulisses, come. 1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. ii. §2 Those who were renowned among the Greeks for wisdome and learning. 1839 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. xiv. 216 The artful Greek..persuaded Darius of his innocence. 1842 J. C. Prichard Nat. Hist. Man 200 The Greeks are generally tall, and finely formed. 1871 J. Caird Univ. Serm. (1898) i. 19 The Greek with his hereditary love of freedom and art. 1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) III. 31 A Greek in the age of Plato. b. Proverb. when Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war: the now usual perversion of Nathaniel Lee's line (see quot. 1677). ΚΠ 1677 N. Lee Rival Queens iv. 48 When Greeks joyn'd Greeks, then was the tug of War. 1839 C. J. Lever Harry Lorrequer (1857) 104 When short whist for five-penny points sets in—then Greek meets Greek and we'll have it. 1863 C. Reade Hard Cash xxxv Meantime unknown to these bewildered ones, Greek was meeting Greek only a few yards off. 2. A member or adherent of the Greek Church. ΘΚΠ society > faith > sect > Christianity > Greek Orthodoxy > [noun] > person easternOE Greekc1380 Easterling1536 Greciana1549 orientalist1683 fermentarian1775 Prozymite1850 orthodox1888 c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 332 Þe þridde maner & leste yuel, þat men seyn þat greks han, is þat þe prest preyeþ þat god assoyle hym. c1547 S. Gardiner Let. 21 May in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 734/1 There is nothing more commended vnto vs christen men in both the churches of the grekes & lattens then lent is. 1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant 190 Both the Greeks and Romanists were extremely griev'd for the Loss of their Saint. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Of the Seven Latin Sacraments..the Greeks only admit five. 1885 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. (ed. 3) 389/2 The Greeks generally were averse to the addition of the ‘Filioque’, and to the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist. 1885 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. (ed. 3) 392/1 In addition to Lent, the Greeks keep the fast of ‘the Mother of God’. †3. A Hellenized Jew; = Grecian n. 1b. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > Semite > [noun] > Jew > Hellenistic Greekc1384 Grecian1611 Hellenist1614 the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Greece > Grecian Jew Greekc1384 Grecian1611 Hellenist1614 c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds vi. 1 In tho dayes..grucchinge of Greekis is maad aȝens Ebrews. 1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. Acts vi. 1 Those Jews that understood the Greek Tongue, and used the Greek Translation of the Scripture, were called Greeks. 4. A cunning or wily person; a cheat, sharper, esp. one who cheats at cards. (Cf. French grec.) ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card-sharping or cheating > [noun] > card-sharper Greek1528 cheaterc1555 packer1586 palmer1671 operator1731 card sharp1840 card-sharper1841 mechanic1897 sharpie1942 card shark2002 1528 Rede me & be nott Wrothe sig. i iiij In carde playinge he is a goode greke. 1568 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. ix. 217 A cowle, a cowle for such a Greek Were fitter for to wear. 1664 Floddan Field vii. 69 Giles Musgrave was a Guileful Greek. 1794 Sporting Mag. 3 227 The waiter pillages the greek, The greek the spendthrift fleeces. 1810 W. Combe Schoolmaster's Tour in Poet. Mag. Nov. 10 If I may with freedom speak, I take you for a very Greek. 1823 W. T. Moncrieff Tom & Jerry ii. v Come lads, bustle about; play will begin—some of the Pigeons are here already, the Greeks will not be long following. 1854 W. M. Thackeray Newcomes I. xxxvi. 361 He was an adventurer, a pauper, a blackleg, a regular Greek. 1884 Sat. Rev. 16 Feb. 202/1 Without a confederate the..game of baccarat does not seem to offer many chances for the Greek. 5. Qualified by merry, mad, gay: A merry fellow; a roysterer; a boon companion; a person of loose habits.See grig n.¹ 5; the relation between the two words is uncertain. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > social event > a merrymaking or convivial occasion > merrymaker > [noun] > habitual fellowa1225 goodfellowa1393 Greek1536 boon companion1566 jovialist1596 Ephesian1600 Trojan1600 jolly dog1799 convivialist1810 boonfellow1876 fellow well met1885 jollier1896 1536 R. Morison Remedy for Sedition sig. 7^v Whom can they refuse, when smythes, coblers, tylers, carters, and such other gay grekes, seme worthy to be theyr gouernours? a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) i. i. sig. A.ij^v (stage direct.) Mathewe Merygreeke. He entreth singing. 1583 G. Babington Very Fruitfull Expos. Commaundem. viii. 396 O hee is a merie greeke, a pleasaunt companion, and in faith a good fellowe. c1600 Return: 1st Pt. i. i, in Three Parnassus Plays (1949) 148 Thou seems a mad greeke, & I haue loude such ladds of metall as thou seems to be from mine infancie. 1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iv. iv. 55 A wofull Cressid 'mongst the merry Greekes. View more context for this quotation] 1611 H. Holland in T. Coryate Crudities sig. d8^v Vlysses was a merry Greeke they say, So Tom is, and the Greeker of the tway. 1635 T. Heywood Philocothonista 44 To title a drunkard by, wee..strive to character him in a more mincing and modest phrase; as thus:—Hee is a good fellow, or A boone Companion, A mad Greeke, A true Trojan. 1650 J. Howell Cotgrave's French-Eng. Dict. (rev. ed.) Ep. Ded. sig. a3^v They tearm in French, a boon companion or merry greek, Roger bon temps. 1694 P. A. Motteux Wks. F. Rabelais (1737) v. 216 Merry-Greeks with crimson Snouts. 6. slang. An Irishman. (Cf. Grecian adj. and n.) ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Irish > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Ireland IrishmanOE Ireis1297 hooded mana1464 Mac1518 Irish1553 Teague?1661 bog-trotter1682 Milesian1682 dear joy1688 Teaguelander1689 paddy1714 bog-lander1736 bog-stalkera1758 brogueneer1758 paddywhack1773 Pat1796 West Briton1805 Irisher1807 Patlander1820 Greek1823 Mick1850 redneck1852 Grecian1853 mickeyc1854 Mike1859 harp1904 1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang Greek—Irishmen call themselves Greeks—none else follow the same track to the east; throughout this land, many unruly districts are termed Grecian. 1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 226/2 We had the Greeks (the lately-arrived Irish) down upon us more than once. 1872 Standard 3 Sept. 5/2 ‘Greek’, as some of your readers are aware, is colonial slang for ‘Irish’. II. [absolute use of the adjective: see etymology.] 7. The ancient or modern language of Greece; the Greek language. Also, a particular form or period of the language, as late Greek, Ionic Greek, modern Greek. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Greek Greekishc1050 Grewc1275 Greeka1400 Hellenic1741 c975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxvii. 46 Hælend miclæ stefnæ cwæþende in grec [MS. gc] god min god min for-whon forletes þu mec.] a1400–50 Alexander 5009 Sothly..þe son-tree..Entris in with yndoyes & endis in greke. c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) Prol. 2 Suffise to the thise trewe conclusiouns in englissh, as wel as suffisith to thise noble clerkes grekes thise same conclusiouns in grek. c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) ii. 10 The Table aboven his Heved..on the whiche the Title was writen, in Ebreu, Grece and Latyn. 1534 T. Starkey Let. in Eng. in Reign Henry VIII (1878) i. p. x The knolege of both tongys bothe latyn & greke. ?1573 L. Lloyd Pilgrimage of Princes f. 71^v Cato being aged, in his last yeres went to schoole to Enneus, to learne the Greeke. 1623 B. Jonson in W. Shakespeare Comedies, Hist. & Trag. sig. A4 And though thou hadst small Latine, and lesse Greeke. 1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. i. i. §3. 3 The Greek was anciently of very great extent, not onely in Europe, but in Asia too, and Afric. 1700 L. Maidwell in C. R. L. Fletcher Collectanea (1885) I. 310 Masters for Græc and Latin. 1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 16 Mar. (1965) I. 390 In Pera they speak Turkish, Greek, Hebrew [etc.]. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Modern or Vulgar Greek, is the Language now spoke in Greece. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) 'Tis not easy to assign the precise Difference between the vulgar, and the antient Greek. 1866 E. Masson tr. G. B. Winer Gram. New Testament Diction (ed. 6) Introd. 15 The Grammar of Later Greek..has not..been completely and systematically investigated. 1899 Oxf. Univ. Cal. 15 The Regius Professor of Greek. 8. Unintelligible speech or language, gibberish. Also heathen Greek (rarely Hebrew-Greek). (Cf. Hebrew n. 2b.) St. Giles's Greek: slang. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > absence of meaning > nonsense, rubbish > unintelligible language, gibberish > [noun] jargon1340 gibberishc1557 fustiana1593 hibber-gibber1593 rabble?1593 gabbling1599 rantum-scantum1599 ribble-rabble1601 gabble1602 High Dutch1602 Greek1603 baragouin1614 galimatias1653 riddle-me-ree1678 clink-clank1679 Hebrew1705 alieniloquy1727 jabber1735 mumbo-jumbo1738 gibbering1786 rigmarole1809 gibber1832 rigmarolery1833 Babelism1834 jargoning1837 barrikin1851 abracadabra1867 double Dutch1876 jabberwock1902 jabberwocky1908 jibber-jabber1922 mumbo-jumbery1923 mumbo1931 double-talk1938 garbology1944 the mind > language > a language > register > [noun] > slang St. Giles's Greek1785 slum1812 slang1818 slanguage1879 1603 T. Dekker et al. Patient Grissill sig. C Far... Asking for some greeke Poet, to him he falles..but Ile be sworne he knowes not so much as one Character of the tongue. Ric. Why then its greeke to him. 1612 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. v. sig. F Svb. Is Ars sacra..A Heathen language? Ana. Heathen Greeke, I take it. Svb. How? Heathen Greeke? Ana. All's Heathen, but the Hebrew. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. ii. 279–84 He spoke Greeke..those that vnderstood him, smil'd at one another, and shooke their heads: but..it was Greeke to me. 1647 A. Cowley Discretion in Mistress ii Joynture, Portion, Gold, Estate..Are Greek no Lovers understand. 1769 J. Wesley Jrnl. 1 July (1827) III. 360 I knew this was heathen Greek to them. 1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue Greek. St. Giles's Greek, the slang lingo, cant, or gibberish. 1827 P. Cunningham Two Years New S. Wales II. xxi. 59 A number of the slang phrases current in St. Giles's Greek. 1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge i. 235 I am a stranger, and this is Greek to me. 1886 F. H. Doyle Reminisc. 239 As unintelligible to the person addressed as if it had been Hebrew-Greek. 1892 Nation (N.Y.) 7 July 13/1 Schubert clothed his melodies in wondrous harmonies, which were ‘Greek’ to his contemporaries. 9. plural. Typography. Greek characters or types. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > types, blocks, or plates > relating to type > style of type > [noun] > type face or font > Greek faces Greeks1894 Porson1894 1894 W. G. Rutherford in Class. Rev. 82 Believing that the new Greeks are likely to be..widely adopted. Compounds General attributive. (See also Greek adj. 2.) C1. (In sense 1.) Greek-peopled adj. ΚΠ 1896 Westm. Gaz. 11 Nov. 2/2 The Greek-peopled islands. Greek speaking adj. ΚΠ 1898 Daily News 6 Oct. 3/1 There are Greek-speaking villages in Syria. C2. (In sense 7.) Greek factory n. ΚΠ 1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xii. 205 Oxford is a Greek factory, as Wilton mills weave carpet. Derivatives ˈGreekess n. a female Greek, a Greek woman. ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Greece > woman Greekess1660 1660 Bp. J. Taylor Ductor Dubitantium I. iv. ii. 140 Jupiter, to whom a Greek and a Greekess..were yearly offered. 1902 J. London Let. 3 Mar. (1966) 277 Charmian sends her love to Greek and Greekess and all the Crowd. ˈGreekless adj. having no Greek; without knowledge of Greek. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > want of knowledge, ignorance > [adjective] > ignorant of something > of Greek Greekless1891 1891 Q. Rev. Jan. 217 An appreciable number of Greekless boys wish to go to the Universities. 1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Dec. 3/2 It is intended apparently to institute a Cambridge B.Sc. degree for which there shall be a Greekless Little-Go. Draft additions March 2006 U.S. College slang. A member of a fraternity or sorority, esp. one with a name composed of Greek letters; cf. Greek adj. Additions. ΚΠ 1888 N.Y. Times 24 Nov. 3/3 A ‘Greek’ theoretically will go a long ways to do something for a ‘Frater’. 1949 Time 21 Mar. 47/2 Non-fraternity men, who outnumber the Greeks two to one, held a mass meeting. 2003 D. Williams-Wheeler Be my Sorority Sister 14 They are hard working students. They are not like a lot of those other Greeks. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online June 2022). Greekadj. Brit. /ɡriːk/, U.S. /ɡrik/ Forms: Also Middle English–1500s Greke, 1500s Scottish Greik, 1500s–1600s Greeke, (1700s Græc). Etymology: < Greek n., under the influence of Latin Graecus and French grec adjectives, of which it might indeed be regarded as a direct adoption. It is not recorded before the 14th cent., and did not supplant Greekish adj. and n. in general use until the 17th cent. 1. a. Of or pertaining to Greece or its people; Hellenic. ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [adjective] Grecana1400 Greekc1400 Gregion1513 Greekisha1568 Grecian1577 Grecanic1601 pan-Ionian1613 Hellenic1644 Grecanical1678 Hellenian1740 Helladian1773 Helladic1779 Greek-like1847 Panhellenic1849 pan-Ionic1855 Graecized1860 Greekesquea1878 c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) Prol. 2 Thise noble clerkes grekes. 1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour l. 1993 in Wks. (1931) I The auld Greik Historitiane Diodorus. 1674 H. Prideaux Lett. (1875) 23 I will determin all cronologicall controversys which have been ever moved in the Greeke history. 1832 Ld. Tennyson Œnone in Poems (new ed.) 64 I will not die alone,..leaving my ancient love With the Greek woman. 1872 J. Ruskin Eagle's Nest §168 Every Greek hero called himself chiefly by his paternal name. b. Of buildings, works of art, physiognomy, etc.: Resembling what prevailed in Greece, Grecian. ΚΠ 1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess Prol. 2 And me that morning Walter show'd the house, Greek, set with busts. 1888 F. Hume Madame Midas i. iii. 28 The straight Greek nose. 2. a. As the designation of a language (see Greek n. 7). Hence, of words, idioms, grammar, etc.: Belonging to or characteristic of the Greek language. Of literary compositions: Written in the Greek language. Greek fathers n. those early Christian fathers (see father n. 8b) who wrote in Greek. (In uses like Greek professor, Greek scholar, the word is perhaps in most cases to be regarded as the noun used attributively.) ΘΚΠ the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adjective] > Indo-European > Greek Greekishc900 Grewc1400 Greek1548 Grecanic1601 Grecanical1678 Helladian1773 society > faith > aspects of faith > patristics > Fathers of the Church > [noun] doctorc1390 church father1654 Greek fathers1711 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. i. Pref. sig. 14^v The Greke diuines. ?1573 L. Lloyd Pilgrimage of Princes f. 71^v Terentius Varro was almost furtie yere olde, before he tooke a Greeke booke in hande, and yet prooued excellent in the Greeke tongue. a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) ii. i. 100 This small packet of Greeke and Latine bookes. View more context for this quotation 1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 2 The ill habit..of wretched barbarizing against the Latin and Greek idiom, with their untutor'd Anglicisms. 1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 162 Stout Defenders of the Faith..that..are ready to make their own Testament, if they see a Greek one. 1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks III. Misc. v. i. 241 A foreign Protestant Divine, and most learn'd Defender of Religion, making the best Excuse he can for the Greek-Fathers. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) In the living Tongues, are still preserved a vast Number of Greek Terms of Arts. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Accent Wetstein, Greek Professor at Basil. a1831 J. Stoddart Gram. in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) I. 164/1 The Greek or Latin construction. 1838 Penny Cycl. XI. 435/1 Such doctrines as..were confirmed by the Greek fathers of the church. 1866 E. Masson tr. G. B. Winer Gram. New Testament Diction (ed. 6) Introd. 15 The Greek diction of the sacred writers. 1866 E. Masson tr. G. B. Winer Gram. New Testament Diction (ed. 6) Introd. 21 It was in classical Greek philology that this pernicious empiricism was first exploded. 1895 W. A. Copinger in Trans. Bibliogr. Soc. 2 ii. 111 Lascaris's Greek Grammar was probably the first book printed in Greek characters. b. Greek letter fraternity, Greek letter order, Greek letter society (U.S.): a club of students, denoted by two or three Greek letters; as the Phi Beta Kappa (ϕ β κ) society. ΚΠ 1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. III. cii. 454 The absence of colleges constituting social centres within a university has helped to develop..the Greek letter societies. 1894 H. H. Gardener Unofficial Patriot x. 146 He encouraged them to join the..Greek letter orders which admitted discussion of such topics. 1898 B'ham Weekly Post 22 Jan. 3/4 This [Kansas] farmer was a Greek-letter fraternity man. 3. The distinctive epithet of that section of the Christian Church (commonly known also as the Eastern Church (Eastern Church n.) or (Holy) Orthodox Church, and now representing the major Christian denominations of Greece, Russia, and other Eastern European countries), which acknowledge the primacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople and which finally formally renounced communion with the Roman see in the 11th cent. a.d. Also applied to its clergy, rites, buildings, etc. ΘΚΠ society > faith > sect > Christianity > Greek Orthodoxy > [adjective] Greek1564 eastern1572 Greciana1600 Greekish1606 Abassian1679 Anatolian1679 Eastern Orthodox1701 orthodox1716 Anatolic1839 1564 T. Becon New Catech. in Wks. 433 I passe ouer the other auncient fathers and doctours bothe of the Greke and Latin churches. a1600 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie (1648) vi. 38 The Greek Church first, and in processe of time the Latin altred this order [of public penitence]. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Romanists call the Greek Church, the Greek Schism. 1838 Penny Cycl. XI. 435/2 The Greek convents follow the strict rule of St. Basilius. 1838 Penny Cycl. XI. 436/1 The Greek church under the Turkish dominion has preserved almost entirely its antient organization. 1877 A. W. Thorold in Good Words 17 The iconostas, or screen, which in Greek churches separates the body of the church from the sanctuary. 4. In specific names of plants and animals, as Greek tortoise, Greek valerian: see the nouns; also Greek nettle. Greek partridge n. of Southern Europe (the original Greek-Latin πέρδιξ, perdix), Alectoris graeca. Greek rose n. [translation of Latin rosa graeca] a book-name for the Campion. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Caryophyllaceae (chickweeds and allies) > [noun] > campion and ragged robin cow-rattle14.. campion1576 behen1578 crowsoap1578 white campion1578 catchfly1597 feather-top wild campion1597 frothy poppy1597 lime-wort1597 nonsuch1597 sea campion1597 spattling poppy (also campion)1597 Greek rose1601 lychnis1601 knap-bottle1640 moss pink1641 Lobel's catchfly1664 red robin1678 moss campion1690 red campion1728 round robin1741 Silene1751 Nottingham catchfly1762 silenal1836 Robin Hood1844 thunder-flower1853 gunpowder weed1860 sea-catchfly1864 robin redbreast1880 poppy1886 thunderbolt1886 rattleweed1893 cancer1896 bladder-campion- 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball 129 The first kind is now called..in English Greek or Romayne Nettel. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 83 The Rose Campion, which our men call the Greeke Rose, and the Greekes name Lychnis. Compounds In specific names of things of actual or attributed Greek origin or referred to Greek style or usage: Greek braid n. braid arranged in the pattern of a fret (see fret n.¹ 3b). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > ornamental textiles > ornamental trimmings > [noun] > braid > specific parchment lace1542 lace1548 lacing1593 Naples lace1612 mignonette1721 struntain1793 French braid1809 lacet1822 Russia braid1825 Russian braid1839 soutache1856 mignardise1868 galloon1877 rickrack1880 Greek braid1894 vermicelli braid1904 tracing-braid1906 Paris binding1918 oak-leaf braid1934 1894 H. Nisbet Bush Girl's Romance 251 She..began touching the Greek-braid ornament on the edge of her skirt with trembling fingers. Greek bread n. a kind of cake or biscuit. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > cake > [noun] > a cake > other cakes honey appleeOE barley-cake1393 seed cakea1400 cake?a1425 pudding-cake?1553 manchet1562 biscuit cake1593 placent1598 poplin1600 jumbal1615 bread pudding1623 semel1643 wine-cakea1661 Shrewsbury cake1670 curd cake1675 fruitcake1687 clap-bread1691 simnel cake1699 orange-flower cake1718 banana cake1726 sweet-cake1726 torte1748 Naples cake1766 Bath cake1769 gofer1769 yeast-cake1795 nutcake1801 tipsy-cake1806 cruller1808 baba1813 lady's finger1818 coconut cake1824 mint cake1825 sices1825 cup-cake1828 batter-cake1830 buckwheat1830 Dundee seed cake1833 fat-cake1839 babka1846 wonder1848 popover1850 cream-cake1855 sly-cake1855 dripping-cake1857 lard-cake1858 puffet1860 quick cake1865 barnbrack1867 matrimony cake1871 brioche1873 Nelson cake1877 cocoa cake1883 sesame cake1883 marinade1888 mystery1889 oblietjie1890 stuffed monkey1892 Greek bread1893 Battenberg1903 Oswego cake1907 nusstorte1911 dump cake1912 Dobos Torte1915 lekach1918 buckle1935 Florentine1936 hash cake1967 space cake1984 1893 D. Radford Autobiogr. 24 Greek bread forced into fingers through a mould by pressure. Greek Calends n. (see calends n. 3b). Greek chorus n. transferred. Used in comparisons, etc., to indicate the wise, sympathetic comments or open wailing of the chorus in Attic tragedies (see chorus n. 1). ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > [noun] > personification of lamentation Greek chorus1863 the mind > emotion > compassion > [noun] > sympathy > sympathetic person(s) > persons commenting sympathetically Greek chorus1863 1863 F. Nightingale in C. Woodham-Smith F. Nightingale (1951) xvii. 291 She [sc. Queen Victoria] always reminds me of the woman in the Greek chorus..wailing out her inexpressible despair. 1893 E. F. Benson Dodo I. iii. 56 He had no desire to interrupt this rapid monologue of Dodo's. He was quite content to play the part of the Greek chorus. 1913 J. Vaizey College Girl xxiii. 319 Hannah, as Greek Chorus, interposed moral remarks. 1947 A. Huxley Let. 9 Mar. (1969) 568 I visualize him as a kind of philosophical recluse, who comments upon all that is happening from the vantage ground of eternity, and acts as a kind of Greek chorus. 1962 J. Braine Life at Top v. 78 ‘You show him, Killer. You show him.’ It was like a Greek chorus. Greek cross n. (see cross n. 18). ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > cross > [noun] > other types of cross potencec1460 cross patonce1562 entrailed1562 Avellan1610 Greek cross1725 Latin cross1797 pendall?1828 spindle cross1828 Irish cross1832 cross patée1844 Celtic cross1857 Teutonic cross1882 1725 J. Henley tr. B. de Montfaucon Antiq. Italy (ed. 2) 20 The Church is built in the shape of a Greek Cross. 1847 J. Yeowell Chron. Anc. Brit. Church xii. 135 Greek crosses; that is, having four short equal limbs. Greek embroidery n. (see quot.). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > embroidery or ornamental sewing > other types of embroidery cutwork1470 Alexandrinec1500 loose work1548 Irish stitch1560 opus anglicumc1840 opus anglicanum1848 chikan1858 straw embroidery1862 Greek embroidery1882 Hardanger1904 Assisi1923 hedebo1932 1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 226/2 Greek Embroidery. This is a modern work..and consists in arranging upon a flat foundation pieces of coloured cloth or silk, in arabesque designs, and attaching these to the material with Chain, Herringbone, and other Embroidery stitches. Greek fire n. a combustible composition for setting fire to an enemy's ships, works, etc.; so called from being first used by the Greeks of Constantinople. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > fire, radiation, or chemical weapons > [noun] > fire as weapon fire?c1225 Greek fire?c1225 Greekish fire?c1225 wildfire1297 firework1528 liquid firea1616 dragoon1626 fire chemise1728 Grecian fire1774 chemise- ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 295 Þis grickisch fur is þeluue Iesu vre lauerd. 1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 136 Her eyen sparklyng and brennyng as fyre Grekyssh. 1828 P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. (1864) I. 80 [Edward I] gave orders for the employment of a new and dreadful instrument of destruction, the Greek fire, with which he had probably become acquainted in the East. 1850 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1872) 3rd Ser. i. 9 It is like the Greek fire used in ancient warfare, which burnt unquenched beneath the water. 1855 J. Hewitt Anc. Armour I. 90 The receipt for the composition of the Greek Fire may be found in the Treatise of Marcus Grecus. Greek fret n. = fret n.¹ 3b. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > geometric checkingc1440 checkc1450 chequer-work1519 pane?a1549 diaper-work1602 chevron1605 diapery1631 fret1664 tooth-work1681 polygram1696 chequer1779 reticulum1797 Grecque1832 checkery1837 gammadion1848 diaper1851 key pattern1853 diapering1866 Greek fret1872 rangoli1884 geometric1894 Greek key1897 step pattern1908 Mondrian1964 1872 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera II. xxiii. 8 The pattern known as the ‘Greek fret’. Greek gift n. a gift covering some act of treachery, with allusion to Virgil Æn. ii. 49, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > snare, trap, entanglement > [noun] > purporting to be gift Trojan horse1574 wooden horse1622 Grecian horse1802 Greek gift1885 society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > undutifulness > treachery > [noun] > gift concealing treachery Trojan horse1574 Greek gift1885 1885 Times (Weekly ed.) 27 Nov. 11/3 [It] would be worse than a Greek gift. Greek god n. (a) in extended sense and in comparisons used to denote a paragon of male physical beauty; (b) a short hairstyle with curls close to and all over the head. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > [noun] > beautiful thing or person > beautiful person > beautiful man or boy Cupidc1381 narcissusc1385 Ganymede?1566 Adonis?1571 Greek goda1910 beefcake1949 the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > curled or frizzed style frizz1668 bullhead1672 bull1699 buckle1711 frizzle1850 cataract curls1864 Niagara1864 water wave1876 marcel wave1895 permanent wave1906 Greek goda1910 marcel1921 finger wave1925 permanent1926 perm1927 home perm1949 Afro1967 natural1967 Jewfro1976 Jheri curl1977 bubble perm1992 a1910 W. F. Butler Autobiogr. (1911) iii. 42 I often look now as soldiers pass and marvel what has become of those old Greek gods. 1955 E. Coxhead Figure in Mist iv. 106 It was irritating that Greek gods should drop off the bus and suddenly reduce Matthew to insignificance. 1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 193 Greek god, introduced in 1967, a close haircut with flat curls all over the head as seen in statues of Apollo. 1968 Guardian 7 Oct. 7/1 They will give you Greek god treatment, a tight mass of tiny curls. 1969 G. Sims Sand Dollar v. 72 He emerged from the sea looking like a Greek god, his hair bleached nearly white. 1970 ‘O. John’ Diamond Dress viii. 90 Don't stand there like some Greek god! You've got about three minutes in which to get dressed. Greek key n. (also Greek design, Greek pattern) = Greek fret n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > geometric checkingc1440 checkc1450 chequer-work1519 pane?a1549 diaper-work1602 chevron1605 diapery1631 fret1664 tooth-work1681 polygram1696 chequer1779 reticulum1797 Grecque1832 checkery1837 gammadion1848 diaper1851 key pattern1853 diapering1866 Greek fret1872 rangoli1884 geometric1894 Greek key1897 step pattern1908 Mondrian1964 1897 Daily News 16 Jan. 6/5 Tailor-made gowns are finished on the skirt with three or five rows of braiding, usually in trefoil or Greek key pattern. 1897 Westm. Gaz. 2 Sept. 3/2 Its trimmings..running in vertical lines that end in Greek keys. 1899 Daily News 19 Apr. 2/1 A Greek key design in sugarwork. Greek lace n. = Greek point n. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > consisting of loops or looped stitches > lace > needle or point > types of point de Venise1668 French point1675 point d'Espagne1676 Alençon lace1774 point de France1774 point-net1829 rose-point1832 point de Paris1840 point d'Alençon1842 point d'Argentan1842 Irish point1851 point d'aiguille1851 point de gaze1863 Venetian point1864 Burano lace1865 Greek lace1865 gros point1865 mermaid's lace1865 point de neige1865 punto a rilievo1865 punto in aria1865 Regency point1865 Venice point1865 point de reprise1872 point russe1872 Greek point1882 hollie point1882 Venetian raised point1882 point de minute1886 point de Sorrentoc1890 1865 F. B. Palliser Hist. Lace v. 74 The greater part of the conventionally termed Greek lace is really the Venetian reticella; the designs are of geometric fashion, and often of Oriental character. 1880 L. Higgin Handbk. Embroidery 63 Design for quilt... To introduce squares of Greek or guipure lace. 1960 H. Hayward Connoisseur's Handbk. Antique Collecting 134/1 ‘Greek lace’, a name given to drawn and cut work embroidery, often combined with geometrical needlepoint or pillow lace. Greek masonry n. (see quots.). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > disposition of stones or bricks > [noun] > types of disposition of stones emplecton1601 isodomon1601 pseudisodomon1601 net-masonry1706 Greek masonry1728 longs and shorts1884 random1886 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Masonry Greek Masonry,..is that where, after we have laid two Stones, each of which makes a Course, another is laid at the end, which makes two Courses. 1847 A. C. Smeaton Builder's Pocket Man. (new ed.) 107 Greek masonry is that..where every alternate stone..is made of the whole thickness of the wall. Greek ornament n. braid arranged in the pattern of a fret (see fret n.¹ 3b). † Greek pitch n. [Latin pix Graeca] Obsolete = colophony n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > processed resinous materials > [noun] > distilled from turpentine colophonya1398 Colophonian resin1601 Greek pitch1657 colophane1838 1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden cclix. [414] The Pomanders, Chaines and Bracelets that are made of..Greek-pitch are effectuall to warm the brain. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Pitch Greek-Pitch, or Spanish Pitch, is that boil'd in Water till it have lost its natural Smell. Greek point n. a kind of needle-made lace. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > consisting of loops or looped stitches > lace > needle or point > types of point de Venise1668 French point1675 point d'Espagne1676 Alençon lace1774 point de France1774 point-net1829 rose-point1832 point de Paris1840 point d'Alençon1842 point d'Argentan1842 Irish point1851 point d'aiguille1851 point de gaze1863 Venetian point1864 Burano lace1865 Greek lace1865 gros point1865 mermaid's lace1865 point de neige1865 punto a rilievo1865 punto in aria1865 Regency point1865 Venice point1865 point de reprise1872 point russe1872 Greek point1882 hollie point1882 Venetian raised point1882 point de minute1886 point de Sorrentoc1890 1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 227/1 Greek Point. Also known as Roman Lace.. This needle made lace is one of the earliest made, being worked in the Ionian Isles..during the fifteenth century. Derivatives Greeˈkesque adj. [compare Italian grechesco] resembling what is Greek. ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [adjective] Grecana1400 Greekc1400 Gregion1513 Greekisha1568 Grecian1577 Grecanic1601 pan-Ionian1613 Hellenic1644 Grecanical1678 Hellenian1740 Helladian1773 Helladic1779 Greek-like1847 Panhellenic1849 pan-Ionic1855 Graecized1860 Greekesquea1878 a1878 G. G. Scott Lect. Mediæval Archit. (1879) I. 100 In the nave of Nôtre Dame every vestige of this Greekesque foliage is got rid of. ˈGreekified adj. [see -fy suffix] rendered Greek in style or character, fashioned on a Greek model. † Greekly adv. Obsolete in a Greek fashion; in the Greek language. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adverb] > in a Greek fashion Greekly1620 Hellenistically1646 Greekishly1831 1620 T. Granger Syntagma Logicum 292 I say of the same kinde Greekely termed homogeneous. 1654 R. Vilvain tr. Enchiridium Epigr. i. lxxxiv T' hav the books of the old Testament Greecly transfer'd. ˈGreekness n. Greek character or quality. ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > the Greeks > [noun] > quality or character of Graecism1609 Hellenism1728 Greeknessa1861 neohellenism1879 a1861 E. B. Browning Lett. R. H. Horne (1877) II. liv. 96 The necessary name ‘Psyche’ drew me towards the propriety of holding a certain Greekness in the other names. 1874 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera (1896) II. xliii. 388 The Greeks sometimes got their own way, as a mob; but nobody, meaning to talk of liberty, calls it ‘Greekness’. Draft additions March 2006 U.S. Of, relating to, or designating college fraternities or sororities, esp. those with names composed of Greek letters (cf. sense 2b). ΘΚΠ society > education > learning > learner > college or university student > [adjective] > student society Unionic1849 Greek1881 fratty1898 1881 N.Y. Times 4 Dec. 2/4 Judge Vinton decided what are known as the ‘Greek fraternity’ cases, holding that the rule of the Faculty..,excluding the members of such societies from the university, was within the limits of their lawful discretion. 1901 H. D. Sheldon Student Life & Customs 169 The O. K. Society arose from an opposition to the Greek fraternity system at Harvard in the year 1858. 1938 Nebraska State Jrnl. 20 Sept. 6/4 I have never inquired as to the exact dues and living expenses at Greek houses, but I have heard they vary from $35 to $70 a month. 2001 T. D. Chandler in A. J. D'Angelo et al. Inspiration for Greeks 57 Being Greek has certainly opened doors for me professionally..but perhaps the greatest gift is the cherished friendships with members of other Greek organizations. Draft additions June 2001 Greek salad n. a salad of a style originating in Greece, typically containing olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion, dressed with olive oil and often lemon juice or vinegar. ΚΠ 1921 C. A. Patterson Lunch Room as Money Maker 79 (advt.) Here you can obtain pleasing delicacies..on ‘Meatless Days’... For instance, Crab Meat Salad..Potato Salad..Greek Salad. 1950 F. Venos & L. Pritchard Can the Greeks Cook! 15 A beautiful sight to see..is a colorful Greek salad tastefully arranged on a large platter. 1977 Washington Post (Nexis) 7 Apr. (Maryland Weekly section) 12 I passed up the barbecued spare ribs dinner..in favor of souvlaki... This was marinated chunks of beef and Greek salad served on pita bread. 1998 P. Cornwell Point of Origin (1999) 167 ‘One Greek salad’, I said. ‘And a chicken gyro in pita.’ Draft additions June 2015 Greek yogurt n. thick yogurt which has been strained to remove much of the whey. ΚΠ 1968 Illustr. London News 28 Sept. 19/3 Greek herbs, ‘live Greek yogurt’ (the best in London), Greek wines and ouzos. 1987 E. Ronay Bird's Eye Guide Healthy Eating Out 129 Puds include thick greek yoghurt, fresh fruit salad and berry fruits in season. 2012 New Yorker 22 Oct. 14/3 Arctic-char crudo laced with cilantro oil and encircled by daubs of Greek yogurt and cucumber. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online March 2022). † Greekv. Etymology: < Greek n. Compare Latin Graecārī. Obsolete. 1. to Greek it: to follow the practice of the Greeks; to play the Greek scholar. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > branch of knowledge > humanistic studies > improve the mind, cultivate [verb (transitive)] > play the classical scholar to Greek it1615 1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 79 [Drinking]..sometimes as many together as there were letters contained in the names of their mistresses..Insomuch that those were prouerbially said to greeke it that quaft in that fashion. 1660 W. Durham Life R. Harris 14 The Bishop..tries his Examinate a little in Divinity, but most in other Learning and Greek, where the Bishops strength lay, but so long they both Greeked it, till at last they were both scoted, and to seek for words. 1799 E. Dubois Piece Family Biogr. II. 20 As to the t'other dead fellow, I never could greek it at all, that's flat. 2. Only in gerund and verbal noun: To cheat at cards. (Cf. Greek n. 4) slang. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card-sharping or cheating > [verb (intransitive)] Greek1817 1817 Sporting Mag. 50 284 A discovery of Greeking at Brighton, has made considerable noise this month in the sporting world. 1819 F. MacDonogh Hermit in London III. 263 Then greeking transactions came on the tapis. 1825 C. M. Westmacott Eng. Spy II. 247 (note) Elements of Greeking. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online March 2021). < n.c893adj.?c1225v.1615
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