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Perioeci

[ per-ee-ee-sahy ]
/ ˌpɛr iˈi saɪ /
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plural noun, singular Per·i·oe·cus [per-ee-ee-kuhs]. /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.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM Perioeci

per·i·oe·cic, per·i·oe·cid, adjective

Words nearby Perioeci

periodontitis, periodontium, periodontology, periodontosis, period piece, Perioeci, perionychia, perionychium, periosteum, periostitis, periostracum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Perioeci in a sentence

  • They had much the same position as the perioeci in ancient Sparta.

    The Latin &amp; Irish Lives of Ciaran|Anonymous

  • The whole number taken, whether true-born Spartans or Perioeci, amounted to more than one hundred.

    Hellenica|Xenophon

  • The provinces under Spartan rule were divided into thirty thousand parts, a part for each Perioeci family.

    History of Education|Levi Seeley

  • Besides the Helots, the Spartans exercised an authority over the intermediate class called the Perioeci.

    Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
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