List of Greek Phrases/Proverbs
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Αα
(h)a
Ἀγεωμέτρητος μηδεὶς εἰσίτω
- Ageōmetrētos mēdeis eisitō.
- "Let no-one without knowledge of geometry enter". Motto over the entrance to Plato's Academy (quoted in Elias' commentary 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 feather flock together."
Ἀεὶ ὁ θεὸς ὁ μέγας γεωμετρεῖ
- Aei ho theos ho megas geōmetrei.
- "Always the great god applies geometry"
- A mnemonic for π (pi);
Ἀεί=3, ὁ=1, θεός=4, ὁ=1, μέγας=5, γεωμετρεῖ=9
Ἀετοῦ γῆρας, κορυδοῦ νεότης
- Aëtou gēras, korudou neotēs.
- "An eagle's old age (is worth) a sparrow's youth".
Ἀνάγκᾳ δ’οὐδὲ θεοὶ μάχονται
- 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
- "Once said", i.e. a word that only occurs once in a text or body of literature.
Ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ
- Ariston men hydōr.
Ββ
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.
Γγ
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.
Δδ
d
Δῶς μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω
- Dōs moi pā stō, kai tan gān kināsō.
- "Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth". Attributed to Archimedes.
<--68.84.100.222 09:52, 24 May 2006 (UTC)--68.84.100.222 09:52, 24 May 2006 (UTC)== (h)e
Εἷς οἰωνὸς ἂριστος, ἀμύνεσθαι περὶ πάτρης
- Eis oiōnos aristos amunesthai peri patris
Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι ουδὲν οἶδα
- Hen oida hoti ouden oida
- "I know one thing, that I know nothing", (Socrates, paraphrased from Plato's Apology)
Ζζ
Ηη
(h)ē
Ἢ τὰν ἢ επὶ τᾶς
- Ē tan ē epi tas
"Either with the shield on you, or you on your shield" - meaning "either you will win the battle, or you will die and then be carried back home on your shield". It was said by Spartan mothers to their sons before they went out to battle to remind them of their duty of bravery.
Θθ
th
Θάλασσα καὶ πῦρ καὶ γυνή, κακὰ τρία
- Thalassa kai pūr kai gunē, kaka tria.
- "Sea and fire and woman, three evils."
Ιι
(h)i
Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς Θεοῦ Υἱὸς Σωτήρ
Κκ
k, c
Κάθε πράγμα στο καιρό του κι'ο κολιός τον Αύγουστο
- Kathe pragma sto kero tou ki' o Kolios ton avgousto.
- "Each event in its own time, and the Kolios in August".
- "Wait for the right time".
Κακοῦ κόρακος κακὸν ὠόν
- Kakou korakos kakon ōön.
- "From a bad crow, a bad egg", i.e. like father, like son.
Κακὸς ἀνὴρ μακρόβιος
- Kakos anēr makrobios
- "A bad man lives long"
Καλλίστῃ
- Kallistēi
- "For the prettiest one", "To the most beautiful", from the myth of the golden apple.
Κάτθανε, Διαγόρα, οὔ και ἐς Ὂλυμπον ἀναβήσῃ
- Katthane, Diagora, ou kai es Olympon anabēsē.
- "Die, Diagora, what else do you expect, to ascend to Mount Olympus and to the gods?" — A Spartan to Diagoras of Rhodes during the 79th Olympiad when his two sons became Olympic winners and carried him in the stadium.
Κύριε ἐλέησον
- Kurie eleēson.
- "Lord have mercy" — a very common phrase in Greek Orthodox liturgies, and also used in Greek (but transliterated as kyrie eleison) in the Roman Catholic Mass.
Λλ
l
Λάθε βιώσας
- Lathe biosas
- "Live in obscurity", an Epicurean phrase.
Μμ
m
Μάθε τέχνη κι’ άστηνε, κι’ άν πεινάσεις πιάστηνε.
- Mathe techne kiastine, kian pinasis piastine.
- "Learn a trade/craft and put it away, and when things get bad, get it out and use it."
Μέτρον ἄριστον
- Metron ariston
- "Moderation is the best thing" Cleobulus
Μὴ γένοιτο
- Mē genoito.
- "Let it not be!" / "Heaven forbid!" — phrase used frequently by St Paul.
Μηδὲν ἄγαν
- Mēden agan.
Μηκέτι ὑδροπότει, ἀλλ' οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχόν σου καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας
- Mēketi hydropotei, all'oinōi oligōi chrō dia ton stomachon sou kai tas pyknas sou astheneias
- Drink no longer water, but take a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities.
- — I Timothy 5:23
Μολὼν λαβέ!
- Molōn labe!
- "Come take them!" — King Leonidas of Sparta, in response to King Xerxes of Persia's demand that the Greek army lay down their arms before the battle of Thermopylae.
Νν
n
Νίψον ἀνομήματα μή μόναν ὄψιν
- Nipson anomēmata mē monan opsin
- "Wash the sins not only the face"
- A palindrome inscription on fountains of asclepieia, later inscribed in Hagia Sophia
Ξξ
x
Οο
(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.
Οὖτις ἐμοί γ' ὂνομα
- Outis emoi g' onoma.
- "My name is Noman". Odysseus to Polyphemus when asked what his name was. (Homer, Odyssey).
Ππ
p
Πέμπε δέ μιν Λυκίην δέ, πόρεν δ' ὅ γε σήματα λυγρὰ γράψας ἐν πίνακι πτυκτῷ θυμοφθόρα πολλά
- pempe de min Lukiēn de, poren d' o ge sēmata lugra grapsas en pinaki ptuktō thumofthora polla
- "so he sent him to Lycia with lying letters written on a folded tablet, containing much ill against the bearer." Homer, Iliad - This passage shows that Homer actually knew the verb γράφειν (write).
Πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη
- Pistis, elpis, agapē
- "Faith, hope, (and) charity." (1 Corinthians, 13, 13.)
Ρρ
r(h)
Ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς
- Rhododaktylos Ēōs
- "Rosy-fingered dawn." Occurs frequently in the Homeric poems.
Σσ
s
Σπεῦδε βραδέως
- Speude bradeōs.
- "Hasten slowly" (cf. Latin festina lente), "less haste, more speed".
Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρα κίνει
- Syn Athena kai cheira kinei.
Ττ
t
Τα πάντα ῥεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει.
- Ta panta rhei kai ouden menei.
- "Everything flows, nothing stands still." Heraclitus
Τὶ δύσκολον; Τὸ ἐαυτὸν γνῶναι.
- Ti duskolon? To eautōn gnōnai.
- "What is hard? To know thyself." Thales
Τὶ εὔκολον; Τὸ ἄλλῳ ὑποτίθεσθαι.
- Ti eukolon? To allo hupotithestai.
- "What is easy? To advise others." Thales
Τὶ κοινότατον; Ἐλπίς. Και γὰρ οἳς ἄλλο μηδέν, αὔτη παρέστη.
- Ti koinotaton? Elpis. Kai gar hois allo mēden, autē parestē.
- "What is quite common? Hope. When all is gone, there is still hope." Thales
Τὶ τάχιστον; Νούς. Διὰ παντὸς γὰρ τρέχει.
- Ti tachiston? Nous. Dia pantos gar trechei.
Τὸ γὰρ ἡδύ, 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."
Τὸ δὶς ἐξαμαρτεῖν οὐκ ἀνδρὸς σοφοῦ.
- To dis examartein ouk andros sophou.
- "To commit the same sin twice is not a sign of a wise man."
Τό πεπρωμένον φυγείν ἀδύνατον.
- To peprōmenon phigin adinaton.
- "It's impossible to escape from what is destined."
Υυ
(h)u, (h)y
Ὕστερον πρότερον
- Hysteron proteron
- "The latter one first".
Φφ
ph
Φοβοῦ τοὺς Δαναοὺς καὶ δῶρα φέροντας
- Phobou tous Danaous kai dōra pherontas.
Χχ
kh, ch
Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά
- Khalepa ta kala.
Ψψ
ps
Ωω
(h)ō
Ὦ ξεῖν', ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε κείμεθα τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι.
- O xein', angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tēde keimetha tois keinon rhēmasi peithomenoi..
- "Oh stranger, tell the Spartans that here we lie, obedient to their laws." (Epigram by Simonides at Thermopylae).