Perioeci
[ per-ee-ee-sahy ]
/ ˌpɛr iˈi saɪ /
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plural noun, singular Per·i·oe·cus [per-ee-ee-kuh s] /ˌpɛr iˈi kəs/.
the inhabitants of ancient Laconia, constituting a dependent people of Sparta, who governed themselves and had a monopoly on trade and manufacture.Compare Helot(def 1), Spartiate.
Origin of Perioeci
1585–95; < Medieval Latin perioecī < Greek períoikoi countryside dwellers, noun use of plural of períoikos neighboring, equivalent to peri- peri- + -oikos, adj. derivative of oîkos house
Related forms
per·i·oe·cic, per·i·oe·cid, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for perioeci
The whole number taken, whether true-born Spartans or Perioeci, amounted to more than one hundred.
Hellenica|XenophonThe provinces under Spartan rule were divided into thirty thousand parts, a part for each Perioeci family.
History of Education|Levi SeeleyBesides the Helots, the Spartans exercised an authority over the intermediate class called the Perioeci.
Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete|Edward Bulwer-LyttonThey had much the same position as the perioeci in ancient Sparta.
The Latin & Irish Lives of Ciaran|Anonymous