Ἑλληνική

Greek (Ancient)

Indo-European (Hellenic) · historical / hidden variety

FamilyIndo-European (Hellenic) SpeakersExtinct ScriptGreek CountriesAncient Greece, Eastern Mediterranean Official inAthens, Greek city-states Vitalityextinct ISO 639-3grc

Also known as: Ancient Greek, Classical Greek, Koine

Ancient Greek (Ἑλληνική Hellēnikḗ) was the language of the ancient Greek world — the language of Homer (Iliad, Odyssey, c. 8th c. BCE), Plato, Aristotle, the Greek tragedians (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides), and the New Testament (Koine Greek). Multiple historical stages: Mycenaean (Linear B, 14th–13th c. BCE), Archaic (Homer), Classical (Athenian, 5th–4th c. BCE), Hellenistic Koine (the lingua franca of Alexander's empire and the early Roman Empire). The foundation of Western philosophy, drama, science, and democracy. Gave rise to Modern Greek and contributed vast vocabulary to European languages (philosophy, biology, democracy, theater, etc.).

Where it is spoken

20 core words in Greek (Ancient)

Water

ὕδωρ

/hýdɔːr/

Fire

πῦρ

/pŷːr/

Sun

ἥλιος

/hɛ́ːlios/

Moon

σελήνη

/selɛ́ːnɛː/

Mother

μήτηρ

/mɛ́ːtɛːr/

Father

πατήρ

/patɛ́ːr/

Eat

ἐσθίειν

/estʰíeːn/

Drink

πίνειν

/píneːn/

Love

ἀγάπη

/aɡápɛː/

Heart

καρδία

/kardía/

Tree

δένδρον

/déndron/

House

οἶκος

/oîkos/

Dog

κύων

/kýɔːn/

Cat

αἴλουρος

/aíluːros/

Hand

χείρ

/kʰéːr/

Eye

ὀφθαλμός

/opʰtʰalmós/

Hello

χαῖρε

/kʰâire/

Thank you

εὐχαριστῶ

/eukʰaristɔ̂ː/

One

εἷς

/hêːs/

Good

ἀγαθόν

/aɡatʰón/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Indo-European (Hellenic) languages

Meaning Greek (Ancient)Mycenaean GreekGreek (Katharevousa)NorwegianKurukhPashaiOnondaga
Water ὕδωρ /hýdɔːr/ 𐀓𐀈 /hudɔːr/ ὕδωρ /ˈiðor/ vann /vɑnː/ ईर् /iːr/ واری /waːri/ ohnekano:s /ohnekanoːs/
Fire πῦρ /pŷːr/ 𐀢 /pyːr/ πῦρ /pir/ ild /ilː/ चिच /tʃitʃ/ انگاری /aŋɡaːri/ oji:staʼ /odʒiːstaʔ/
Sun ἥλιος /hɛ́ːlios/ 𐀀𐀺𐀂𐀍 /haːwelios/ ἥλιος /ˈilios/ sol /suːl/ बेरी /beɾiː/ سور /sur/ gaeh'kwa /ɡaehʔkwa/
Moon σελήνη /selɛ́ːnɛː/ 𐀕 /mɛːn/ σελήνη /seˈlini/ måne /moːnə/ चांदो /tʃaːndoː/ مس /mas/ gaeh'kwa enitha /ɡaehʔkwa enitha/
Mother μήτηρ /mɛ́ːtɛːr/ 𐀔𐀳 /maːtɛːr/ μήτηρ /ˈmitir/ mor /muːr/ अयो /ajoː/ نا /naː/ ekno:ha' /eknoːhaʔ/
Father πατήρ /patɛ́ːr/ 𐀞𐀳 /patɛːr/ πατήρ /paˈtir/ far /fɑːr/ बाबा /baːbaː/ تاتا /taːtaː/ hak'no:ha' /hakʔnoːhaʔ/
Eat ἐσθίειν /estʰíeːn/ 𐀁𐀈𐀕𐀙 /edmenai/ ἐσθίω /esˈθio/ spise /spiːsə/ ओनना /onːaː/ کخن- /kxn/ ekho:ne' /ekʰoːneʔ/
Drink πίνειν /píneːn/ 𐀡𐀜 /piːnɔː/ πίνω /ˈpino/ drikke /drɪkːə/ ओंकना /oŋkːnaː/ پی- /piː/ ehnega:i'ron /ehneɡaːiʔron/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Greek (Ancient)
Ἐγὼ βούλομαι πειρᾶσθαι ἱμάτιον εἶδον ἐν καπηλείῳ ἐναντίον τοῦ πανδοκείου
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Greek (Ancient)
Ἐγὼ βούλομαι πειρᾶσθαι ἱμάτιον εἶδον ἐν καπηλείῳ ἐναντίον τοῦ πανδοκείου
Unë dua ta provoj një kostum pashë një dyqan përballë hotelit
Ես ուզում եմ փորձել կոստում որ տեսա խանութում դիմաց հյուրանոցի
हम होटल के सामने दुकान में देखल सूट पहिन के देखे के चाहत बानी
Аз искам да пробвам костюм който видях в магазин срещу хотела

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