What does greece mean?
Greece is the name of a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern Balkan Peninsula and extending across numerous Aegean and Ionian islands. In contemporary use, it most often refers to the modern Greek state, whose capital is Athens. “Ancient Greece” refers to the Greek city-states, colonies, political traditions, mythology, and cultural achievements of antiquity. The word is also used more broadly for Greek people, language, cuisine, art, and identity, although those meanings are often expressed through the related adjective “Greek.” Greece is an international proper noun used in British and American English and is pronounced with a long “e” sound. Its historical significance extends far beyond its geographic location: ancient Greek literature, philosophy, drama, mathematics, and political thought have had a lasting influence on Western education and culture. The name also connects linguistically with “Greek” and the combining form “Graeco-,” both of which preserve its broader association with the Greek world.
proper nounGreece is a country in southeastern Europe, occupying the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula and many islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas. The name can also refer to ancient Greece and the wider Greek cultural world.
- The modern country in southeastern Europe.
- The ancient Greek civilization and its wider cultural and historical world.
"They spent the summer exploring the ancient ruins of Greece."
"Greece is famous for its island beaches, ancient monuments, and Mediterranean cuisine."
"The plays of Sophocles remain central to the study of ancient Greece."
The country name has no ordinary regular plural. The rare plural “Greeces” can distinguish separate historical or cultural referents.
"The exhibition compares two very different Greces, ancient and modern."
From the Greek alphabet to democracy, Greece has left an outsized mark on the vocabulary and institutions of the modern world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does greece come from?
English “Greece” comes through Latin “Graecia,” the name used by the Romans for the Greek country. Latin “Graecia” was borrowed from the ancient Greek “Graía,” an early poetic name for the land of the Greeks. The related English word “Greek” comes through Latin “Graecus,” while “Graeco-” preserves a combining form based on the same Latin and Greek naming tradition.
How greece is actually used
As a proper noun, Greece normally takes no article when naming the country: “in Greece” and “travel to Greece.” It may be modified by “ancient,” “modern,” “mainland,” or “southern.”
Easily confused with greece
Grecian is an adjective or noun referring to ancient Greek culture or people, whereas Greece ordinarily names the modern country or the historical Greek world.
Greek can refer to the people, language, or culture of Greece, while Greece is primarily the name of the country or its historical territory.