Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Greek” come from?

Greek comes from Old English Grēcas and Crēcas, from Proto-West Germanic krēk, from Latin Graecus, from Ancient Greek Γραικός, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂-.

Greek (English): An inhabitant, resident, or person of descent...

Definitions

  1. An inhabitant, resident, or person of descent...

Ancestry of “Greek”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishGrēcasthe Greeks; Greeks
2Esperantokrekoteal
3LatinGraecusGreek, Grecian, of or pertaining to the Greek...
4Ancient GreekΓραικόςGreek; a Graecian, a member of an ancient...
5Ancient Greekγραῖα—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature

Words derived from “Greek”

  • greek
  • greeking
  • Greekless
  • neo-Greek
  • Greeks
  • Proto-Greek
  • Indo-Greek
  • Greeklessness
  • Pre-Greek
  • Neo-Greek
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →