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All etymologies in this article are sourced from the Oxford English Dictionary and can be found under the English word;[1] somewhat less complete etymologies may also be found in other online and offline dictionaries, such as the Online Etymological Dictionary,[2] the Merriam-Webster Dictionary,[3] and the American Heritage Dictionary.[4] |
The Greek language has contributed to the English lexicon in five main ways:
- vernacular borrowings, transmitted orally through Vulgar Latin directly into Old English, e.g., 'butter' (butere, from Latin butyrum < βούτυρον), or through French, e.g., 'ochre';
- learned borrowings from classical Greek texts, often via Latin, e.g., 'physics' (< Latin physica < τὰ φυσικά);
- a few borrowings transmitted through other languages, notably Arabic scientific and philosophical writing, e.g., 'alchemy' (< χημεία);
- direct borrowings from Modern Greek, e.g., 'ouzo' (ούζο);
- neologisms (coinages) in post-classical Latin or modern languages using classical Greek roots, e.g., 'telephone' (< τῆλε + φωνή) or a mixture of Greek and other roots, e.g., 'television' (< Greek τῆλε + English vision < Latin visio); these are often shared among the modern European languages, including Modern Greek.
Of these, the neologisms are by far the most numerous.