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Ancient Greece and
Ancient Olympics Terms
- Acropolis
- city on a hill (acro - hill, elevation; polis - city); also, citadel or fortified part of a city
- ago
- lead
- agon
- agony, or pain one experiences in the quest for athletic excellence
- akademia
- academy
- altis
- grove
- andreia
- courage (source: Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- andreios
- brave (thus, the name "Andre," e.g., "Andre Agassi")
- anthrôpos
- human being (anthropology: the study of humanity) (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- arete
- virtue -- the ancient Greek concept of being a unified whole while striving for excellence
(not to confuse arete with striving for victory).
- aristos
- best (origin of English terms "aristocrat" & "aristocracy")
- asmenos
- glad
- asphales
- safe
- athlètès
- one who competes for a prize (no word for amateur existed in ancient Greece).
- athlon
- prize
- athlos
- contest
- atomon
- that which cannot be divided [from "a-" and "temnein," to cut] an "atom" (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- barbaros
- barbarian
- basilikos
- royal (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- bebaios
- firm, confident
- bios
- life [biology] (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- blasphemia
- blasphemy
- boetheia
- help
- bômos
- "altar" in the center of the agora which was dedicated to the twelve great gods of Greece : Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Hephæstus, Athena, Ares, Aphrodite and Hermes.
- charakter
- brand or mark -- character
- charis
- favor (e.g., charity)
- chorègoi
- choirmasters
- dadouchos
- Torchbearer in religious cult initiation ceremonies
- deinos
- terrible, monstrous (Dinosaurs -- from Greek "deinos" or monstrous and "sauros" lizard; term coined by Sir Richard Owen in 1841)
- dekadrachm
- ten drachmai ("a handful of spits" standard of Greek currency)
- dekas
- unit of ten (origin of the first part of the name of the modern Olympics event the "Decathelon")
(source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- demokratia
- democracy or rule (kratos -- power) of the peole (demos)
- demos
- people
- despotes
- Master -- Despot
- diaulos
- a foot race equal to two lengths of the stadion ("the standing place" a linear
stadium 600 feet long)
- dike
- justice
- dolichos
- a distance race varying from place to place, generally 12 to 24 lengths
(i.e., 1.5 to 3 miles) of the stadion ("the standing place" a linear stadium 600
feet long)
- doron
- gift
- dory
- spear
- doulos
- slave (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- drachma
- standard of Greek currency, meaning literally "a handful of spits"
- dromos
- running place or racecourse
- dynamis/dynamikos
- power/powerful -- dynamic
- eirene
- peace
- elephantos
- elephant
- eleutheria
- freedom
- ephebos
- 18 year-old Athenian youth in training to become a full citizen
- ephors
- Spartan officials that oversaw the public review of stripped naked boys every ten
days for signs of flabbiness or flaccidity.
- episteme
- knowledge
- eros
- love (the god of love in Greek mythology)
- ethos
- custom, character
- eu
- well (e.g., eustress -- positive form of stress that helps get things done)
- genos
- race, specie
- glykus
- sweet
- gnome
- mind, judgment
- gnosis
- knowledge (of spiritual truth)
- Gymnasiarch
- Chief official over gymnastics
- gymnasion
- place of naked people
- gymnos
- naked or bare (used for the word for the sport of gymnastics. The word gymnasium is
now used for a place of competition or high school in Europe).
- gyne
- woman
- halteres
- jumping weights
- hebe
- youth, puberty, Greek goddess of youth
- hedone
- pleasure (e.g., hedonism)
- hedys
- sweet (origin of the name "Heidi")
- hègemoon
- leader, commander (e.g., hegemony or control of one nation over others) (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms
- hellanodikai
- Greek Olympics judges
- hellen
- Greek (language, outlook, and way of life)
- hèlootès
- helot; Spartan slave (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- hierophantes
- Revealer of holy things; religious cult leader.
- Heílôtes (Helots)
- Slaves or serfs (in Classical Greece) under the Spartan rule
- himantes
- boxing gloves
- hippos
- horse
- hippodromos
- racecourse for horses
- historia
- knowledge gained from inquiry
- hoplite
- armed soldier
- hoplitodromos
- race in armor
- hygieine
- hygiene
- hyper
- beyond
- hypo
- under
- kakos
- coward (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- kardia
- heart (e.g., kardiovascular)
- keles
- horse race
- kolônos
- hill, thus "Colonos Agoraios" means "the hill next to the agora"
- kosmos
- order, arrangement, world-order [cosmetics, cosmology] (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- kranos
- helmet
- kratos
- strength, power, might, sovereignty (demokratia or democracy as in "kratos" [power] of
the peole [demos])
- krypteia
- Spartan version of the Russian KGB (secret service) for keeping their slaves (helots) under control
(probably the source of the English term "encryption") (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- kritikos
- Discerning -- critic
- Lakedaimoon
- name of Spartan state
- Lakedaimoon
- name of Spartan state (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- Lambda
- Greek letter ‘L’ for Lakedaimoon painted on front of the Spartan shields (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- lampros
- bright (hence the word "lamp")
- leon
- lion
- logos
- discourse, explanation, ratio, proportion, . . . [eventually] reason (origin of English words, such as,
logic, theology, biology...) (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- mastigophorai
- whip-bearers (athletes and coaches that flagrantly ignored the rules could face
public flogging)
- mekhane
- a crane that ancient Greek actors could be hung from to depict flying gods or monsters
(earliest known "special effects" and possibly the origin of the English word "mechanic")
- meta
- after or with
- monos
- sole, alone [monotheism, monopoly, monism] (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- myein
- To close, referring to the lips and the eyes. Etymologically, the word mystery is
derived from the Greek verb myein.
- mystagogos
- The leader of the mystes (the person that initiates a new comer or mystes to a secret
cult)
- mystes
- The person that is initiated into a secret religious cult.
- Narkissos
- Self-adoring youth in Greek legend turned into a flower (narcissus). Current use in English: narcissism and narcissistic.
- naumachia
- sea battle (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- naus
- ship (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- nautès
- sailor (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- nautikon
- fleet; navy (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- Nike
- Victory; goddess of victory, daughter of Pallas and Styx in Greek religion and mythology. Nike
presided over all athletic and military contests. Pheidippides, an ancient "day-runner" ran in less
than one week 300+ miles on a very rough terrain with hardly any rest. On his last interval, Pheidippides
ran 25 miles back to Athens from Marathon to deliver the news of a Greek victory over the Persians.
Upon his arrival to Athens, according to Herodotus, he exclaimed "Nike!" and died.
- paideia
- education [origin of English word "pedagogy] (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- Paiderastia
- "Boylove" and Paiderastes -- "Boylover." Pederasty was a socially
accepted (Ancient Greece) erotic relationship between a paidotribe (adult male coach/techer) and a boy between
the ages of 12 and 18 (Source:
www.daretospeak.net/paiderastia/pedo.html).
- paidion
- child (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- paidotribe
- teacher, coach for hire (similar to the present day physical educator)
- palaestra
- a structure added to the gymnasium that served as training space for boxing and wrestling
- pale
- wrestling
- pan
- all (e.g., pan-American games)
- pneuma
- breath
- pankration
- an athletic event combining aspects of wrestling and boxing
- pantheon
- all the gods
- para
- beside (e.g., paramedic)
- Pedagogues
- trusted slaves that would act as tutor/guardian to their master’s young boys
- pentathlon
- five contests (discus, javelin, long jump, wrestling, and foot race)
- peplos
- a loose outer robe worn by women in ancient Greece
- periodonikes
- circuit victor
- philein (verb)
- love, like (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- philos
- loving, friendly, having an affinity for; "philos" or love and "sophia" or
wisdom are the Greek source for the word philosophy -- the love of wisdom.
- philosophia
- philosophy (love or affinity for wisdom)
- phobos
- fear (phobia)
- phone
- voice
- phos
- light
- poietes
- creator -- poet
- poly
- much or many
- praktike
- business (practice) -- practical
- praxis
- conduct, (interpersonal) action, including political activity (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- pro
- before
- propulaia
- "entrance", or, more specifically, "what stands before the doors (pro-pulai)
- psyche
- soul
- pugme
- boxing (pugilist another English word for boxer)
- orkestra
- circle stage in front of the wooden stage that the actors performed on in ancient Greek theater.
The orkestra was used by dancers and singers called the "chorus." The English word orchestra originated from the
Greek word "orkestra."
- Rhoomaios
- Roman (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- Schèma
- disposition; formation (source:
Glossary of ancient Greek military terms)
- skene
- Small hut on the stage (wooden platform behind the "orkestra" [orchestra]) in ancient Greek theatre that actors could
use as a refuge to change costumes during a play. The famous Greek tragedy playwrite Sophokles was the first to
introduce paintings of a nature scene on the front walls of the skene building (earliest known record
of scenery on stage). The English word 'scenery' is derived from the Greek word "skene."
- schole
- free time, discussion -- school
- sôma
- body (e.g., psychosomatic) (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- sophos
- wise (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- sophia
- wisdom
- stadion
- linear distance equal to 600 feet; a foot race 600 feet long; place of athletic
contests, literally "the standing place"
- tachy
- fast, quick (e.g., tachycardia or abnormal resting heart heart rate
that exceeds 100 beats per minute)
- tauros
- bull
- tauto
- the same (e.g., tautonym)
- telos
- end
- theos
- god, deity (source:
Philosophically Important Ancient Greek Terms)
- tethrippon
- four-horse chariot
- tetradrachm
- four drachmai
- thalossocracy
- Regime with a powerful navy (often mentioned in reference to Minoan culture but according to recent historians
more accurate of Ancient Greece (See WSU.EDU: Minoa History
- theos
- god
- thea
- goddess
- tyche
- fate
- tyrannos
- tyrant (not necessarily considered a bad ruler in ancient Greece)
- xenos
- strange, stranger (xnenophobia -- fear and hatred of anything foreign)
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Daniel Frankl, Ph.D., Professor
School of Kinesiology and Nutritional Science
California State University, Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8162
Phone: (323) 343-4662
Fax: (323) 343-6482
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