List of Greek Phrases/Proverbs

Α

(h)a

'

Ageōmetrētos mēdeis eisitō.

"Let no-one without knowledge of geometry enter". Motto over the entrance to Plato's Academy (quoted in Elias' coommentary on Aristotle's Categories.

Ἀεὶ Λιβύη φέρει τι κακόν / καινόν

Aei Libyē pherei ti kakon / kainon.

"Libya always bears something evil / new", Aristotle, Historia Animailum. (Cf. Latin Ex Africa semper aliquid novi, "From Africa always something new".)

Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιῷ ἱζάνει

Aei koloios para koloiōi hizanei.

"A jackdaw is always found near a jackdaw", i.e. birds of a kind flock together.

Ἀετοῦ γῆρας, κορυδοῦ νεότης

Aëtou gēras, korudou neotēs.

"An eagle's old age (is worth) a sparrow's youth".

'

Anankāi d'oude theoi makhontai.

"Even the Gods do not fight necessity", Simonides, 8, 20.

Ἄνθρωπος μέτρον

Anthrōpos metron.

"Man the measure (of all things)", motto of Protagoras.

Ἅπαξ λεγόμενον

Hapax legomenon.

"Once said", i.e. a word that only occurs once in a text or body of literature.

Ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ

Ariston men hydōr.

"Greatest however is water", Pindar, Olymp. 1, 1. Used as the insription over the Pump Room at Bath.

Β

b

Βρῶμα θεῶν

Brōma theōn.

"Food of the gods" — allegedly said by Nero of the poisoned mushrooms with which his mother Agrippina the younger murdered Claudius.

Γ

g

Γλαῦκ’ Ἀθήναζε / Γλαῦκ’ εἰς Ἀθήνας

Glauk’ Athēnazde / Glauk’ eis Athēnas.

"Owls to Athens", i.e. coals to Newcastle, ice to the Eskimos.

Γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Gnōthi seauton.

"Know thyself" — the motto over the entrance to the temple of Apollo at Delphi.

Δ

d

Ε

(h)e

Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι ουδὲν οἶδα

Hen oida hoti ouden oida

"I know one thing, that I know nothing", (Socrates in [[Plato's Apology]])

Ζ

z

Η

(h)ē

Θ

th

'

Thalassa kai pūr kai gunē, kaka tria.

"Sea and fire and woman, three evils."

Ι

(h)i

Κ

k, c

Κακοῦ  κόρακος  κακὸν ὠόν

Kakou korakos kakon ōön.

"From a bad crow, a bad egg", i.e. like father, like son.

Κακός ἀνήρ μακρόβιος

Kakos anêr makrobios

"A bad man lives long"

Καλλίστῃ

Kallistēi

"For the prettiest one", "To the most beautiful", from the myth of the golden apple.

Λ

l

Μ

m

Μὴ γένοιτο

Mē genoito.

"Let it not be!" / "Heaven forfend!" — phrase used frequently by St Paul.

Ν

n

Ξ

x

Ο

(h)o

Οὐ φροντὶς Ἱπποκλείδῃ

Ou phrontis Hippokleidēi.

"Hippocleides doesn't care." From a story in Herodotus (6.129), in which Hippocleides loses the chance to marry Cleisthenes' daughter after getting drunk and dancing on his head. Herodotus says the phrase was a common expression in his own day.

Π

p

Ρ

r(h)

Σ

s

Σπεῦδε βραδεώς

Speude bradeōs.

"Hasten slowly" (cf. Latin festina lente), "less haste, more speed".

Τ

t

Τὸ γὰρ ἡδὺ, ἐὰν πολύ, οὐ τι γὲ ἡδύ.

To gar hēdu, ean polu, ou ti ge hēdu.

"A sweet thing tasted too often is no longer sweet."

Υ

(h)u, (h)y

Ὕστερον πρότερον

Hysteron proteron

"The latter one first".

Φ

ph

Χ

kh, ch

Ψ

ps

Ω

(h)ō

See also

• Greek language
• List of Greek words with English derivatives
• List of Latin phrases