Migration of Words

The Influence of the Greek Language

Leonhard-Wagner-Gymnasium Schwabmünchen

Words and ideas travel – they influence other languages, they enrich societies and cultures.

The influence of the Greek language on other European languages is

huge. There are many words that are used in a similar form in several

languages.

Rhythmus geography

gráfico sembol horoscop

autorytet

phénomène

monarkia matematica atmosfär

Greek is the oldest European language. Both the Latin alphabet,

which is used in central and northern Europe, and the cyrillic

alphabet of most Eastern European languages are derived from Greek.

α β γ δ εa b c d e

а б г д е

Ancient Greece with its writers, philosphers and artists was seen as a model and an ideal society by many

people, so terms for new discoveries, inventions and ideas have often been

created from Greek words.

Words like “theatre” are very old, since theatrical traditions in

Greece can be traced back to the sixth century BC.

On the other hand the word “helicopter” was only introduced in

the late 19th century.

Here are some of the Greek words that can be found in all the

languages spoken in the countries participating in our Comenius Project

“Travelling – The Way to Europe“

cathedral

katedral

Kathedrale

catedrală

katedra

cathédrale catedral

from Greek kathedra (seat, bench) from kata (down) + hedra (seat/

base/chair) the seat of a bishop

automobile

otomobil

Automobil

automobil

automobil

automobile automóvil

from Greek auto (self/same) and Latin mobilis (movable)

thermometre

termometre

Thermometer

termometru

termometr

thermomètre termómetro

from Greek thermo (warm) and meter (to measure)

democracy

demokrasi

Demokratie

democraţie

democracja

démocratie democracia

from Greek dêmos (people) and krátos (power/force)

mathematics

matematik

Mathematik

matematică

matematyca

mathématique matematicafrom Greek máthēma (to

learn/to study)

telephone

telefon

Telefon

telefon

telefon

téléphone teléfono

from Greek tele (far off) and phoné (sound/voice)

microphone

mikrofon

Mikrofon

microfon

mikrofon

microphone micrófono

from Greek mikrós (small) and phoné (sound/voice)

atmosphere

atmosfer

Atmosphäre

atmosferă

atmosfera

atmosphère atmósferafrom Greek atmos (vapor) and

sphiara (ball)

helicopter

helikopter

Helikopter

elicopter

helikopter

hélicoptère elicopter

from Greek helix (spiral/turning) and pteron (wing)