Greek

noun

• 1a native or inhabitant of modern Greece, or a person of Greek descent.
• a Greek-speaking person in the ancient world, typically a native of one of the city states of Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.

• 2the ancient or modern language of Greece, the only representative of the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family.

  The ancient form of Greek was spoken in the southern Balkan peninsula from the 2nd millennium bc. The Greek alphabet, used from the 1st millennium bc onwards, was adapted from the Phoenician alphabet. The dialect of classical Athens formed the basis of the standard dialect (koine) from the 3rd century bc onwards, and this remained as a literary language during the periods of the Byzantine Empire and Turkish rule (see katharevousa). The colloquial language, however, continued to evolve independently (see demotic)

• 3US a member of a fraternity or sorority having a Greek-letter name.

adjective

• relating to Greece, its people, or their language. Compare with Hellenic.