greek

Everyday

1. Greek means from or about Greece, a country in southern Europe. tree →
2. A Greek is a person from Greece. tree →
3. Greek is the language spoken in Greece; it has its own alphabet (alpha, beta, gamma…). tree →
4. The ancient Greeks lived in Greece long ago and gave the world many ideas in maths, science, theatre and sport. tree →
5. (idiom) «It's all Greek to me» means «I can't understand it at all». tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons, the ancient Greeks gave us the Olympic Games, democracy and famous mathematicians like Pythagoras. In maths, Greek letters like π (pi) are used. Many English words come from Greek: telephone, geography. Phrases: ancient Greek, Greek myths, It's all Greek to me.

Examples

• The ancient Greeks held the first Olympic Games. tree →
• My friend's family is Greek and speaks Greek at home. tree →
• We read Greek myths about Zeus and Hercules. tree →
• The Greek letter π is used for circles in maths. tree →
• «Geography» comes from Greek words meaning «earth writing». tree →
• This instruction book is all Greek to me! tree →
• We had Greek salad with feta cheese. tree →
• There are a few Greek words in this text. tree →

Note

Always a capital G: Greek. The country is Greece (double e, ending «-ce»); the people and language are Greek. In maths, π (pi) ≈ 3.14 is a Greek letter.

In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: The texts compare Hebrew terms with Greek words and letters. Jews in ancient times lived among Greek speakers and borrowed ideas and sounds from them. In the primary lessons: In history lessons, the ancient Greeks gave us the Olympic Games, democracy and famous mathematicians like Pythagoras. In maths, Greek letters like π (pi) are used. Many English words come from Greek: telephone, geography. Phrases: ancient Greek, Greek myths, It's all Greek to me.

Examples

• Certain translators have preferred to render otyot yesod as 'elemental letters' by analogy with the Greek term. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• The Hebrew term תֹּהוּ tohu is much more similar in sense to the Greek kháos than it is to English chaos. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• 33) The aspirating pronunciation of ρ in the Greek, was adopted by the ancient Jews in Palestine for the Hebrew letter ר. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →

Note

Always a capital G: Greek. The country is Greece (double e, ending «-ce»); the people and language are Greek. In maths, π (pi) ≈ 3.14 is a Greek letter.