Ancient Greek language

9.9

The form of Greek used in Greece from about 800 BCE to 600 CE

noun

: idioma griego antiguo

She studied the Ancient Greek language to better understand historical philosophy.

Examples

The Ancient Greek language has contributed many words to modern English vocabulary.
Many philosophers wrote in the Ancient Greek language.
Many classical texts were originally written in Ancient Greek language and later translated into Latin.
The Ancient Greek language has influenced many modern languages.
Many classical texts were originally written in Ancient Greek language and later translated into Latin.
The Ancient Greek language has contributed many words to modern English vocabulary.
She studied the Ancient Greek language to better understand historical philosophy.

Synonyms

Ancient Greek

vsAncient Greek language

5 9.9

A form of Greek used long ago before the Roman Empire

spans a longer period from the ninth century BCE to the sixth century CE

How Old

Ancient Greek language

9.9

Classical Greek

1 9.9

Late Greek

Specialized

9.5

Medieval Greek

9.9

Modern Greek

1 4.5

Surface Forms

Ancient Greek language singular

Ancient Greek languages plural

Morphology

ancient + Greek + language

The meaning 'the Greek language used in antiquity' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'ancient' (pertaining to antiquity) with 'Greek' (the Hellenic people/language) and 'language' (a speech system). This straightforward compositional noun phrase follows common cross-linguistic patterns of noun modification, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Ancient Greek language comes from the form of Greek people spoke and wrote many centuries ago in Greece. Imagine scholars reading poems from old scrolls and speaking an older kind of Greek, so the phrase means 'the form of Greek used long ago', not the modern language.