Hellenic

[ he-len-ik, -lee-nik ]

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.: Compare Hellenistic (def. 3).

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.

Origin of Hellenic

1
First recorded in 1635–45; from Greek Hellēnikós “of, pertaining to the Greeks”; see Hellene, -ic

Other words from Hellenic

  • an·ti-Hel·len·ic, adjective
  • Hel·len·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • non-Hel·len·ic, adjective
  • pre-Hel·len·ic, adjective
  • pro-Hel·len·ic, adjective

Words Nearby Hellenic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Hellenic in a sentence

  • Given the prevalence of intelligent artificial objects in Hellenic culture, it is no surprise that engineers in the later Hellenistic period turned to designing and building these machines.

    Ancient robots were objects of fantasy and fun | E. R. Truitt/MIT Press Reader | November 30, 2021 | Popular-Science
  • Hellenic thought, with its dangerous conclusions, was restated by Pater because "Les fleurs du Mal" had paved the way.

    Charles Baudelaire, His Life | Thophile Gautier
  • Plato treats the claim of Ionian to rank among the Hellenic modes as somewhat doubtful (Laches, p. 188).

    The Modes of Ancient Greek Music | David Binning Monro
  • The ideas of the Hellenic mystery-religions may be found to throw light on the language of St. Paul.

    Comparative Religion | J. Estlin Carpenter
  • This fact alone reveals manners absolutely foreign to Hellenic and Roman civilisation.

    History of Julius Caesar Vol. 1 of 2 | Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873.
  • In their eyes, it was the Hellenic civilisation overthrowing the presumption of the Western barbarians.

    History of Julius Caesar Vol. 1 of 2 | Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873.

British Dictionary definitions for Hellenic

Hellenic

/ (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

  1. another word for Greek

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

Derived forms of Hellenic

  • Hellenically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012