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Greek words
Etymology
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Achilles' heel | a single vulnerable spot |
| Adonis | an extremely handsome young man |
| aegis | sponsorship or protection |
| amazon | a powerful, masculine woman |
| atlas | a collection of maps |
| Cassandra | a person who warns of coming evil but whose prophecies are disregarded |
| chimera | a foolish or idle fancy |
| Elysium | place or state of blissful happiness |
| Gorgon | a snaky-haired creature so ugly as to petrify an onlooker |
| halcyon | calm; peaceful |
| herculean | very powerful |
| hydra | a persistent evil, one difficult to eradicate |
| labyrinth | a complicated arrangement of passageways or roads; a maze |
| mentor | a wise counselor |
| Midas | a very rich man |
| narcissism | abnormal attachment to one's own appearance and personality |
| nemesis | retribution; one who inflicts retribution |
| odyssey | a long series of wanderings |
| Oedipus (complex) | an abnormal attachment to one's parent of the opposite sex with corresponding hostility to the other |
| Olympian | exalted; majestic |
| paean | a song of thanksgiving or praise |
| procrustean | forcing rigid conformity |
| protean | extremely changeable |
| siren | an alluring but dangerous woman; seductive |
| stentorian | very loud |
| Stygian | dark, gloomy |
| tantalize | tease |
| titanic | of enormous size and power |
| academy | a school or learned society |
| Arcadian | simple, peaceful, rustic |
| Croesus | a very rich man |
| cynic | one who sarcastically doubts human motives |
| Draconian | extremely severe |
| epicure(an) | a person of refined taste in matters of food and drink |
| (to cut the) Gordian knot | to solve a diffcult problem by direct and drastic means |
| laconic | brief, pithy, concise |
| mausoleum | a large tomb |
| meander | to follow a winding course; the Greek-key design |
| ostracism | exclusion from society |
| philippic | a bitter denunciation |
| Pyrrhic (victory) | victory won at too great a cost |
| solecism | a substandard usage of language, a social blunder |
| sophistry, sophism | clever but deceptive argumentation meant to mislead |
| Spartan | rigorous, austere, disciplined |
| stoic | impassive |
| sword of Damocles | a constantly threatening danger |
| sybarite | one devoted to luxury and pleasure |
| bedlam | a place or situation of noisy uproar and confusion |
| boycott | to abstain from using, buying, or dealing with as a means of protest, disfavor, or coercion |
| dunce | a stupid person, dolt |
| Frankenstein | a person who creates a monster or destructive agency that cannot be controlled or that brings about the creator's ruin |
| jeremiad | a long and mournful complaint |
| maudlin | effusively or tearfully sentimental |
| quixotic | capricious, impulsive |
| simony | the sin of buying or selling ecclesiastical offices, powers, etc. |
| tawdry | gaudy; shameful or indecent |
| utopia | an ideal place or state |
| austere | grave, somber, solemn, serious |
| bibliographical | relating to or dealing with bibliography |
| canon | an officially recognized set of sacred books |
| canonical | pertaining to, established by or conforming to a canon or canons |
| crypt | a subterranean chamber or vault used burial or secret meetings |
| cryptographic | of or relating to cryptanalysis |
| despot | a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power |
| encyclopedic | pertaining to or of the nature of an encyclopedia; comprehending a wide variety of information |
| entomologist | a zoologist who studies insects |
| epiglottis | a thin, valvelike cartilaginous structure that covers the glottis during swallowing, preventing the entrance of food or drink into the larynx |
| icon | a picture, image, or other representation |
| iconography | a representation or group of representatiions of a person, place, or thing as a portrait or collection of portraits |
| mimicry | the act, practice, or art of mimicking |
| myriad | very large number, innumerable |
| nomad | people or tribe with no permanent home; any wanderer, itinerant |
| orgy | wild, drunken, or licentious festivity or revelry |
| parody | a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing |
| polyglot | able to speak or write several languages; mulitlingual |
| tome | a book, esp. a very large, heavy, or learned book |
| zephyr | a gentle, mild breeze; the west wind |
| amnesty | a general pardon for all offenses |
| amphibious | living in both land and water |
| anachronism | something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time |
| analgesic | causing analgesia (a remedy that relieves pain) |
| analogy | similarity or comparability |
| anatomy | the science of dealing with the structure of animals or plants |
| analytical | skilled in habitually using analysis |
| antibiotic | chemical substances that inhibit the growth or destroy bacteria, used chiefly in the treatment of infectious diseases |
| antipodal | diametrically opposed |
| apocryphal | of doubtful authorship or authenticity |
| apogee | the highest most distant point |
| apotheosize | to deify, glorify |
| atheist | one who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings |
| atrophy | undergo atrophy (a decrease of size in an organ caused by disease or disuse) |
| catalytic | of, or involving or acting as a catalyst |
| dialogue | conversation between two or more people |
| mnemonic | assisting or intended to assist the memory |
| pandemonium | wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; chaos |
| pantomime | the art or technique of conveying emotions, actions, and feelings by gestures without speech |
| pantheon | a public building containing tombs or memorials to the illustrious dead of a nation |
| anemic | suffering from anemia, lacking power, vigor, or vitality; listless, weak |
| antagonistic | acting in opposition; hostile; unfriendly |
| apostolic | of or characteristic of the 12 apostles; of or pertaining to the pope, papal |
| dystrophy | weakening, degeneration, or abnormal development of muscle |
| eccentricity | an oddity or peculiarity as of conduct |
| encyclical | a letter addressed by the pope to all the bishops of the church; a letter intended for wide or general circulation |
| endemic | natural of characteristic of a specific people or place; indigenous |
| ephemeral | lasting a very short time; transitory |
| epidemic | extremely prevalent; widespread |
| epilogue | a concluding part added to a literary work, as a novel |
| epistolary | of, pertaining to, or consisting of letters |
| epitaph | an inscription on a tombstone in memory of one buried there; a brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person |
| epitome | a representative or perfect example of a class or type |
| eulogy | a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, esp. a set oration in honor of a deceased person |
| euthanasia | painless death; mercy killing |
| evangelical | pertaining to or in keeping with the gospel and its teachings |
| exodus | a going out, a departure, or emigration |
| exogamy | marriage outside of a tribe or similar social unit |
| glossary | a list of terms in a special subject, field, or area of usage with accompanying definitions |
| pandemic | prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world |
| agnostic | a person who holds that the existence of an ultimate cause, as god and the essential nature of things, are unknown or unknowable |
| anomaly | a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement or form |
| antonym | a word oppisite in meaning of another |
| endemics | prevalent or peculiar to a particular locality, region, or people |
| euphoria | feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being |
| homonym | one or two words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but defferent meaning |
| hyperbole | obvious and intentional exaggeration |
| hypertrophy | abnormal enlargement of a part or organ; excessive growth |
| hypodermic | characterized by the introduction of medicine or drugs under the skin |
| metabolic | of, pertaining to, or affected by metabolism |
| metamorphosed | to change the form or nature of; transform |
| metaphor | something used or regarded as being used to represent something else; emblem; symbol |
| paradoxical | seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true |
| paraphernalia | equipment, apparatus, or fusnishing used in or necessary for a particular activity |
| perigee | the point a heavenly body or artificial satellite is nearest to earth |
| periphery | external boundary of any surface or area |
| prognosticated | to forecast or predict from present signs or indications; prophesy |
| syllogistic | of or pertaining to syllogism (deductive reasoning) |
| synod | any council |
| syntax | the study and rules for the formation of grammatical sentences in a language |
Created by:
pogs89
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