Hellenic

American  

[he-len-ik, -lee-nik] / hɛˈlɛn ɪk, -ˈli nɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient Greeks or their language, culture, thought, etc., especially before the time of Alexander the Great.

2. Greek.

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noun

1. Also called Greek.  a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, comprising a variety of ancient, medieval, and modern dialects and languages, all of them called Greek.

2. Katharevusa.

Hellenic British  

/ hɛˈlɛnɪk, -ˈliː- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the ancient or modern Greeks or their language

2. of or relating to ancient Greece or the Greeks of the classical period (776–323 _bc ) Compare Hellenistic

3. another word for Greek

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noun

1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages consisting of Greek in its various ancient and modern dialects

Other Word Forms

• Hellenically adverb
• anti-Hellenic adjective
• non-Hellenic adjective
• pre-Hellenic adjective
• pro-Hellenic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Hellenic

First recorded in 1635–45; from Greek Hellēnikós “of, pertaining to the Greeks”; Hellene, -ic

Example Sentences

Her Hellenic identity is unsurprising, as there was an influx of Greeks after Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt in 332 B.C.

From The Wall Street Journal

Santorini sits in the eastern Mediterranean within the Hellenic volcanic arc, one of Europe's most geologically active regions.

From Science Daily

Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Hellenic Fire Service, told the BBC the alarm was raised by a friend of the three men after they failed to return at the expected time.

From BBC

The Hellenic Olympic Committee has hit out at criticism of the sponsorship of the historic Panathenaic Stadium, site of the first modern Games in 1896, as "petty" politics that "undermines" its work.

From Barron's

Nearly 50 years earlier, in 480 B.C., the two cities had united to lead the Hellenic alliance that repelled a Persian invasion.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• classic
• humanistic