This complete list covers 1,602 Greek words, each explained in plain English. The selection includes common everyday words, useful phrases, and terms that have shaped English and other languages.

Greek words are the building blocks of one of the oldest written languages in the world. They include nouns, verbs, adjectives, and many other types, from simple words like “water” and “friend” to complex ideas in science and philosophy. Greek has a rich range of forms, with endings that change to show tense, gender, and case. Learning these words helps travelers, students, and curious readers understand modern Greece and the roots of many English terms.

Interesting and little-known facts about Greek words:

• Greek has about 3,400 years of written history, one of the longest of any living language.
• The Greek alphabet has 24 letters, and the word “alphabet” comes from its first two, alpha and beta.
• Thousands of English words come from Greek, including “democracy,” “telephone,” “biology,” and “photograph.”
• Many medical and scientific terms are built from Greek parts, such as “cardio” for heart and “neuro” for nerve.
• A comedy by Aristophanes contains a made-up dish name of 171 letters, often cited as the longest word in ancient literature.
• About 13 million people speak Greek today, mainly in Greece and Cyprus.

Use the alphabetical index below to browse the list. Each page shows the Greek word, its English translation, its part of speech, an example of how it is used, and a short description.