Greek

American  

[greek] / grik /

adjective

1. of or relating to Greece, the Greeks, or their language.

2. pertaining to the Greek Orthodox Church.

3. noting or pertaining to the alphabetic script derived from a Semitic form of writing, employing some letters that originally represented consonants for use as vowel sounds, which was used from about the beginning of the first millennium b.c. for the writing of Greek, and from which the Latin, Cyrillic, and other alphabets were derived.

---

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Greece.

2. the language of the ancient Greeks and any of the languages that have developed from it, as Hellenistic Greek, Biblical Greek, the Koine, and Modern Greek. Gk, Gk.

3. Informal. anything unintelligible, as speech, writing, etc..

   This contract is all Greek to me.

4. a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

5. Hellenic.

6. a person who belongs to a Greek-letter fraternity or sorority.

7. Archaic: Usually Offensive. a cheater, especially one who cheats at cards.

Greek British  

/ ɡriːk /

noun

1. the official language of Greece, constituting the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages See Ancient Greek Late Greek Medieval Greek Modern Greek

2. a native or inhabitant of Greece or a descendant of such a native

3. a member of the Greek Orthodox Church

4. informal anything incomprehensible (esp in the phrase it's ( all ) Greek to me )

5. equals meet

---

adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or characteristic of Greece, the Greeks, or the Greek language; Hellenic

2. of, relating to, or designating the Greek Orthodox Church

Sensitive Note

The noun Greek in its archaic meaning of “cheater” is usually perceived as insulting to or by Greeks.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• non-Greek
  adjective
• Greekness
  noun
• pro-Greek
  adjective
• half-Greek
  adjective
• quasi-Greek
  adjective
• pseudo-Greek
  adjective
• Greekish
  adjective
• Greekdom
  noun
• anti-Greek
  adjective
• pre-Greek
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Greek

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English Grēcas (plural) from Latin Graecī “the Greeks” (nominative plural of Graecus ) from Greek Graikoí, plural of Graikós Greek

Example Sentences

From the Greek philosopher Archimedes shouting “eureka” in his bathtub to the German psychologist Karl Bühler defining the concept of an “Aha!” moment two centuries later, sudden jolts of realization can hit rather quickly.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

It also becomes an excellent sandwich spread when stirred into mayonnaise, and a remarkably elegant dip when folded into Greek yogurt.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

Those tours typically play venues larger than the Greek, Irvine’s Great Park Live or Costa Mesa’s fairgrounds-adjacent Pacific Amphitheatre, but smaller than the Hollywood Bowl.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

First released in 2005, the series has previously followed the story of Greek god Kratos and the triumphs, tragedies and treachery he experiences.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

NOTE.—This suffix, except when signifying an idiom, is found only in words of Greek origin.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton