Athenian

[uh-thee-nee-uhn]

adjective

1. pertaining to Athens, Greece.

noun

1. a native or citizen of Athens, Greece.

Athenian

/ əˈθiːnɪən /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Athens

adjective

1. of or relating to Athens

Other Word Forms

• anti-Athenian adjective
• pro-Athenian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Athenian¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin Athēni(ēnsis) “of Athens” + -an; -ensis

Example Sentences

The Athenian patrician Thucydides began writing the history of his city’s conflict with Sparta even as the war was beginning.

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A highborn Athenian named Thucydides recognized at once that a transformative conflict was beginning.

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One might wonder why the Athenians and the Spartans did not sit down over a nice cup of tea and work out their differences, but they did not.

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Despite its military prowess, Sparta lacked strategic depth; its king, Archidamus II, therefore urged his countrymen to remonstrate with the Athenians, to buy time while recruiting other distant powers to their side.

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But the land could produce olive oil and wine, so Athenians developed extended trade links to export those goods and import grain from the Black Sea region.

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