This page lists 64 Greek words that start with V, from “vivlio” to “vasilopita”. The words are written in Latin letters, so you can read and say them without knowing the Greek alphabet. They cover everyday objects, weather, food, family life, and common verbs. You can use them to build your vocabulary, prepare for a trip to Greece, or practice with a tutor or class.
Greek words are the building blocks of one of the oldest written languages still spoken today. Many of them, like “vios” (life) and “viologia” (biology), have given English some of its everyday terms.
Below you’ll find the table with the word, English translation, part of speech, example usage, and description for each entry.
Word: The Greek word written in Latin letters, so you can sound it out and find it quickly in the list.
English Translation: The closest English meaning, so you can check what each word means at a glance and learn it faster.
Part of Speech: Whether the word is a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb, which helps you see how to use it in a sentence.
Example Usage: A short Greek sentence with its English translation, so you can see the word in real context and copy the pattern.
Description: A brief note on the meaning, origin, or cultural background of the word, which helps you remember it and use it with confidence.
Greek words
| Word | English Translation | Part of Speech | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| vivlio | book | noun | Diavazo ena vivlio. (I am reading a book.) |
| vivliothiki | library | noun | Pame sti vivliothiki. (We are going to the library.) |
| vivliopoleio | bookshop | noun | Agorasa to dora sto vivliopoleio. (I bought the gifts at the bookshop.) |
| vrohi | rain | noun | Ehei megali vrohi simera. (There is heavy rain today.) |
| vrehei | it is raining | verb | Vrehei apo to proi. (It has been raining since morning.) |
| vouno | mountain | noun | To vouno einai psilo. (The mountain is high.) |
| vradi | evening, night | noun | Tha se do avrio to vradi. (I will see you tomorrow evening.) |
| vlepo | I see | verb | Vlepo ti thalassa. (I see the sea.) |
| voitheia | help | noun | Hreiazomai voitheia. (I need help.) |
| voithao | I help | verb | Se voithao me ta psonia. (I help you with the shopping.) |
| vasilias | king | noun | O vasilias zouse sto palati. (The king lived in the palace.) |
| vasilissa | queen | noun | I vasilissa episkeftike to nisi. (The queen visited the island.) |
| vasileio | kingdom | noun | To vasileio itan poly megalo. (The kingdom was very large.) |
| vrisko | I find | verb | Den vrisko ta kleidia mou. (I cannot find my keys.) |
| vazo | I put | verb | Vazo to gala sto trapezi. (I put the milk on the table.) |
| vgazo | I take out | verb | Vgazo ta skoupidia. (I take out the garbage.) |
| vgaino | I go out | verb | Vgaino me tous filous mou. (I go out with my friends.) |
| vronti | thunder | noun | Akousa mia megali vronti. (I heard a loud thunder.) |
| vrachos | rock | noun | Kathisame panw se ena vracho. (We sat on a rock.) |
| vathos | depth | noun | Poio einai to vathos tis limnis? (What is the depth of the lake?) |
| vathys | deep | adjective | O ypnos tou itan vathys. (His sleep was deep.) |
| vasi | base, foundation | noun | I vasi tou agalmatos einai marmarini. (The base of the statue is marble.) |
| vasikos | basic, main | adjective | O vasikos kanonas einai aplos. (The basic rule is simple.) |
| vlakas | fool, idiot | noun | Ti vlakas pou imouna! (What a fool I was!) |
| vromikos | dirty | adjective | O dromos einai vromikos. (The road is dirty.) |
| vapori | ship, steamer | noun | To vapori fevgei stis okto. (The ship leaves at eight.) |
| vareli | barrel | noun | To krasi menei se xylino vareli. (The wine is kept in a wooden barrel.) |
| varka | boat | noun | Pame me tin varka sto nisi. (We go by boat to the island.) |
| vrachioli | bracelet | noun | Mou charise ena asimenio vrachioli. (She gave me a silver bracelet.) |
| vlemma | glance, gaze | noun | Eihe ena sovaro vlemma. (He had a serious look.) |
| vlefaro | eyelid | noun | Ta vlefara mou einai varia. (My eyelids are heavy.) |
| vlavi | damage, breakdown | noun | To aftokinito ehei vlavi. (The car has a breakdown.) |
| vrefos | infant, baby | noun | To vrefos koimatai. (The baby is sleeping.) |
| vrysi | tap, fountain | noun | Anoixe ti vrysi. (Turn on the tap.) |
| voutyro | butter | noun | Thelo voutyro sto psomi. (I want butter on the bread.) |
| vodino | beef | noun | Agorasa vodino gia to stifado. (I bought beef for the stew.) |
| vodi | ox | noun | To vodi einai megalo zoo. (The ox is a large animal.) |
| vasilikos | basil | noun | O vasilikos mirizei oraia. (Basil smells wonderful.) |
| vyssino | sour cherry | noun | Thelo glyko vyssino. (I want sour cherry preserve.) |
| vanilia | vanilla | noun | To keik ehei vanilia. (The cake has vanilla.) |
| vitamini | vitamin | noun | I vitamini C einai simantiki. (Vitamin C is important.) |
| vima | step | noun | Kane ena vima brosta. (Take a step forward.) |
| vouli | parliament | noun | I Vouli psifise ton nomo. (Parliament passed the law.) |
| vouleftis | member of parliament | noun | O vouleftis milise stin Vouli. (The member of parliament spoke in Parliament.) |
| Vyzantio | Byzantium | noun | To Vyzantio ekratise pano apo hilia chronia. (Byzantium lasted over a thousand years.) |
| vorras | north | noun | O anemos erchetai apo ton vorra. (The wind comes from the north.) |
| vatrachos | frog | noun | Ena vatrachos kathetai sti limni. (A frog is sitting by the lake.) |
| viasyni | haste, hurry | noun | Giati tosi viasyni? (Why such a hurry?) |
| viazomai | I am in a hurry | verb | Viazomai, argo gia ti douleia. (I am in a hurry, I am late for work.) |
| vios | life | noun | O vios tou itan dyskolos. (His life was hard.) |
| viografia | biography | noun | Diavasa tin viografia tou. (I read his biography.) |
| viologia | biology | noun | I viologia me endiaferei. (Biology interests me.) |
| velos | arrow | noun | To velos ephtase makria. (The arrow went far.) |
| velona | needle | noun | Dose mou mia velona. (Give me a needle.) |
| veltiosi | improvement | noun | Yparchei veltiosi stin ygeia tou. (There is improvement in his health.) |
| vevaia | of course | adverb | Vevaia, tha erthoume. (Of course, we will come.) |
| vevaios | certain, sure | adjective | Eimai vevaios. (I am sure.) |
| vathmos | grade, degree | noun | Pira kalo vathmo. (I got a good grade.) |
| vouvos | mute, silent | adjective | O mikros emeine vouvos. (The boy stayed silent.) |
| vourtsa | brush | noun | Dose mou ti vourtsa. (Give me the brush.) |
| votsalo | pebble | noun | Mazepsame votsala stin paralia. (We collected pebbles on the beach.) |
| vouliazo | I sink | verb | To ploio arhise na vouliazei. (The ship started to sink.) |
| volta | walk, stroll | noun | Pame mia volta. (Let us go for a walk.) |
| vasilopita | New Year’s cake | noun | Kopsame tin vasilopita. (We cut the New Year’s cake.) |
Descriptions
vivlio
The everyday word for a book. It comes from the ancient Greek biblion, the same root that gave English words like Bible and bibliography.
vivliothiki
A place where books are kept and borrowed. Literally a “book storehouse”, it is a compound of vivlio and thiki, meaning case or repository.
vivliopoleio
A shop that sells books. Bookshops are a fixture of Greek city centers, especially around Athens and Thessaloniki.
vrohi
The standard word for rain. Greek winters can be wet, so you will hear it often between November and March.
vrehei
The impersonal verb used to say that it is raining. It is the verb form that goes with vrohi.
vouno
A mountain or large hill. Greece is mostly mountainous, so the word turns up in countless place names.
vradi
The part of the day after sunset. Greeks use it for both “evening” and “night”, and it appears in the greeting kalo vradi (good evening).
vlepo
The basic verb for seeing. It is one of the first verbs learners meet and is used for both physical sight and understanding.
voitheia
The noun for help or assistance. It is also what you would call out in an emergency.
voithao
The verb for helping someone. It is used in everyday offers of assistance, such as “Can I help you?”
vasilias
A male monarch. The word also gave Greek the name Vasilis, a very common first name.
vasilissa
A female monarch, or the wife of a king. It is the feminine counterpart of vasilias.
vasileio
A realm ruled by a king or queen. It is also used figuratively, as in the animal kingdom.
vrisko
The usual verb for finding or discovering something. It also means “to be located” when used in the passive.
vazo
A very common verb for putting or placing something somewhere. It also shows up in phrases like vazo ta ruha (I put on clothes).
vgazo
The verb for removing or taking something out. It is the opposite of vazo.
vgaino
The verb for going out, exiting, or leaving a place. Greeks use it constantly when talking about socializing.
vronti
The rumbling sound that follows lightning. It is the root of the old Greek word for thunderstorm, vrontohi.
vrachos
A large rock or cliff. It is common along the Greek coast, where rocky shores are everywhere.
vathos
The measure of how deep something is. It is used for water, holes, and also for emotional or intellectual depth.
vathys
Describes something that goes far down or inward. In Greek it is used for deep water, deep sleep, and deep feelings.
vasi
The bottom support of something or the foundation of an idea. English borrowed the same word as “basis”.
vasikos
Describes something fundamental or essential. It comes from vasi and is common in school and work contexts.
vlakas
An informal word for a fool. Among close friends it can be affectionate, but it is rude toward strangers.
vromikos
Describes something unclean or filthy. It comes from vromi, meaning dirt or stench.
vapori
An old but still widely used word for a ship or ferry. It originally meant “steamship”, from the Italian vapore.
vareli
A round wooden container for wine or other liquids. Taverns in Greece often serve wine straight from the barrel.
varka
A small boat, such as a rowing boat or fishing boat. It is the same word as the English “barque”.
vrachioli
A piece of jewelry worn on the wrist. It comes from vrachionas, the old word for arm.
vlemma
A look or expression in someone’s eyes. It is often used in literature and in descriptions of people.
vlefaro
The skin that covers the eye. It is the Greek word that doctors use for eyelid, as in blepharitis in English.
vlavi
Damage or a technical fault. It is the word you use when a machine or car stops working.
vrefos
A very young child, especially a newborn. It is used in formal, medical, and everyday contexts.
vrysi
A water tap or a public fountain. Village squares in Greece often have a vrysi where people once gathered for water.
voutyro
Butter, made from cream. The word comes from the ancient Greek boutyron, literally “cow cheese”.
vodino
Meat from cattle. It is used in classic Greek dishes like stifado and giouvetsi.
vodi
A bull or ox, often used as a farm animal. It is related to the English word “bovine”.
vasilikos
The herb basil. In Greece it is traditionally grown in pots on balconies and doorsteps.
vyssino
A tart cherry used for spoon sweets, juice, and syrups. A glass of cold vyssinada, sour cherry drink, is a classic Greek refreshment.
vanilia
The flavoring from the vanilla plant. Greek vanilia is also the name of a sweet white spoon sweet served with a glass of water.
vitamini
A nutrient the body needs in small amounts. The word is used in Greek the same way as in English.
vima
A single step or a stage in a process. The related word “bema” in English also comes from this root.
vouli
The Hellenic Parliament in Athens, or any law-making assembly. It sits in the old royal palace on Syntagma Square.
vouleftis
An elected representative in the Greek parliament. The word comes from vouli.
Vyzantio
The name of the Eastern Roman Empire and its capital, now Istanbul. Its Greek-speaking culture shaped Orthodox Christianity and Greek identity.
vorras
The direction north. Greek has an old tradition of named winds, and the vorias is the cold north wind.
vatrachos
The word for a frog. English uses the related word “batrachian” for frogs and toads in zoology.
viasyni
A feeling of rushing or urgency. It comes from the ancient word bia, meaning force.
viazomai
The verb used to say that you are rushing or short on time. It is the verb form of viasyni.
vios
The course of a person’s life. It is the root of English words like biography and biology.
viografia
The written story of someone’s life. English “biography” comes straight from this Greek compound.
viologia
The science of living things. The Greek word is the source of the English term.
velos
An arrow, or a pointing symbol like the ones on road signs. The ancient Greeks used it in archery and war.
velona
A sewing or injection needle. It comes from the ancient word belone.
veltiosi
A change for the better. It is common in news, school reports, and doctor visits.
vevaia
A common reply meaning “certainly”. Greeks use it both to agree and to give emphasis.
vevaios
Describes someone who has no doubt or something that is definite. It is the adjective form of vevaia.
vathmos
A school grade, a temperature degree, or a rank. Greek schools mark on a scale of 1 to 20 at the high school level.
vouvos
Describes someone who cannot or will not speak. It is also used to describe a quiet or still place.
vourtsa
A brush for hair, teeth, clothes, or painting. The word came into Greek from Italian.
votsalo
A small smooth stone. Many Greek beaches are covered in votsala rather than sand.
vouliazo
The verb for sinking in water or being swallowed up. It can also be used figuratively for sinking into trouble.
volta
A casual walk or outing, an important part of Greek social life. The evening volta by the sea or in the square is a daily habit.
vasilopita
A sweet bread or cake baked for New Year’s Day in honor of Saint Basil. A coin is hidden inside, and whoever finds it is said to have luck for the year.