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Glite Dictionary
Classical Greek

Classical Greek

1 9.9
A form of Ancient Greek spoken and written in Athens to create famous plays and philosophy around 400 BC
  • noun
  • /ˈklæsɪkəl ɡrik/
translation icon : griego clásico
  • Among the Byzantine scholars in attendance was Gemistos Plethon, a theologian and classical Greek scholar.
  • Classical Greek and Roman
  • Classical Greek vase
  • Classical Greek style

Those people don't read classical Greek.

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Examples

  • A classical Greek example of the latter type is "What is the strongest of all things?"

    Blog text (20)

  • Translation from the classical Greek is totally weird, right?

    Blog text (13)

  • I remember the very first day of the very first class in ancient Greek, classical Greek that I was taking.

    Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

  • I did in fact learn classical Greek and I, I learned it in part so I could read people like Plato.

  • Here is the "glory that was Greece" from a classical Greek perspective.

    Academic text (1994)

  • For Americans, that common culture is found, first of all, in Western civilization and its primary historical constituents: Judeo-Christianity and classical Greek philosophy.

    Academic text (1991)

  • It is not surprising that the word pharmakon in classical Greek means both poison and antidote, sickness and cure.

    Academic text (1993)

  • More significantly, like the classical Greek tragedies before it, Amno'n challenges the belief in a harmonious and comprehensible universe.

    Academic text (1990)

  • The middle and high schools in Greece have delicious names from Classical Greek—like Athena, Apollo, Olympia, and Odyssey Academy.

    Blog text (3)

  • I enrolled in a course to learn Classical Greek so that I could read the works of ancient philosophers.

Synonyms

Attic
vsClassical Greek
  • Specialized
7 9.9

A form of ancient Greek spoken in Athens and nearby areas

is tied to a specific historical period around Athens rather than only a regional dialect

How Old

Classical Greek
1 9.9
Late Greek
  • Specialized
9.5
Modern Greek
1 4.5

Surface Forms

Classical Greek singular
Classical Greeks plural

Morphology

classical + Greek

This is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'classical' (pertaining to antiquity) modifies 'Greek' (the language), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the ancient/formal form of the Greek language. The construction is a regular, cross-linguistically common way to name historical language varieties, so the meaning is transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Classical Greek gets its name because this was the model form of Greek used in and around Athens when famous writers like Plato and Aristotle wrote, about 2,400 years ago. So, think of those great books to remember that Classical Greek means the old, standard written Greek from that time.