Achaean

American  

[uh-kee-uhn] / əˈki ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Achaea or the Achaeans.

2. (in theIliad ) Greek.

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noun

1. an inhabitant of Achaea.

2. a Greek, especially a member of the Achaean League.

3. a member of one of the four main divisions of prehistoric Greeks, believed to have occupied the Peloponnesus and to have produced the Mycenaean culture.

Achaean British  

/ əˈkaɪən, əˈkiːən /

noun

1. a member of a principal Greek tribe in the Mycenaean era

2. a native or inhabitant of the later Greek province of Achaea

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adjective

1. of or relating to Achaea or the Achaeans

Etymology

Origin of Achaean

1560–70; < Latin Achae ( us ) (< Greek Achaiós, perhaps reflected in Hittite Ahhiyawa, a country alluded to in records of the late 2nd millennium b.c.) + -an

Example Sentences

Antiochus sent ambassadors to the Achaeans, who were allies of the Romans, to encourage them to remain neutral.

From Literature

In Book II of the Iliad, the god sends Agamemnon, king of the Achaeans, a dream urging him to dispatch his men into battle, promising that this will end Troy’s siege.

From Washington Post

Or to know that the city-states, which comprise the Greek coalition opposing Troy, get several names — “Achaeans,” “Argives,” “Danaans,” deployed seemingly at random, all mean the same thing.

From Los Angeles Times

Though this is much earlier than the Iliad, of course, an epithet for the Greek warriors is common there: "Long haired Achaeans."

From New York Times

He’s the Achaeans’ absolute best warrior, the heart of the army.

From National Geographic