Early Greek Loanwords in English

Perhaps you know that words like telephone and biology are derived from Greek. Most of these words are fairly new to the English language, being learned borrowings or neologisms. But there are also Greek words that were loaned into English very early (always through Latin), before c. 1150, which may be less obvious.

I tried to make a fairly comprehensive list. Please let me know if I missed any! Not included are words which are derived from clearly traceable Greek loanwords themselves, such as camel (from Aramaic), ginger (from a Dravidian language) or apricot (from Latin). I also did not include words with disputed etymologies: for a list of these, see the comments. Finally, I tried to remove loanwords from French in late Old English.

Sources: Wiktionary, etymonline.com and the Oxford English Dictionary.

* The words with an asterisk are derived from Greek words which are in all likelihood loanwords themselves, but the origin is unclear.

† The words with a dagger could either be derived from Old English or from French, or may be combinations of the two.

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Religious
Literally, a 'follower'. Assists during Mass by carrying liturgical objects. Or more generally, someone who assists.	acolyte
From "eleēmosynē": money or goods given to the needy.	alms
Originally, the Greek word meant 'messenger'. These beings relay messages from God to humans.	angel
From "antiphōnos": a song. Every country has its own national ...	anthem
Originally, the Greek word meant 'revelation': the name of the last book of the Bible. Now it means the end of the world (as predicted in that book).	apocalypse
Literally, 'someone sent forth'. Used for one of Jesus' twelve disciples or other missionaries.	apostle
From "episkopos", which meant 'overseer': a senior church man in charge of a diocese.	bishop
A vessel for the wine during Mass.	chalice
Not Jesus' last name, but a word that means 'anointed'.	Christ
From "kyriakos", meaning '[house] of the Lord'.	church
An office worker who does a lot of writing.	clerk
From "diakonos": a person who performs certain tasks of a church, which vary greatly between denominations.	deacon
A supernatural being. Could either be good, neutral or evil in Greek, but always malevolent in English.	demon
From "diabolos", which meant 'slanderer'.	devil
A letter, specifically the ones in the New Testament.	epistle
A song of praise or worship.	hymn
Originally, 'witness'. Now used for people tortured and killed for their faith.	martyr
From "monos", 'alone'. A man who leaves society to devote his life to God.	monk
The male leader of a family or tribe.	patriarch
This means the 'fiftieth [day]': the holiday which is on the fiftieth day, counting from Easter. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus' disciples in the form of tongues of fire, according to the book of Acts.	Pentecost
From "pappas", meaning father. The leader of the Catholic Church.	pope
From "presbyteros", meaning 'elder'. A person ordained to perform sacraments among other things.	priest
From 'before' + 'say': a divinely inspired person who predicts the future.	prophet
One of the songs of praise found in the Bible book. Many are said to be written by David.	psalm

Containers
From "pyxis". A container, but also a plant often used as hedge. Perhaps the word originally referred to containers made from the wood of this plant. Nowadays more often made of cardboard.	box
From "kistē". Pirates (a Greek loanword) kept treasure (another Greek loanword) in this. Also used for the part of the body enclosed by the ribs.	chest
From "byrsa", which meant 'wineskin'.	purse
From "sycchos". What you wear on your feet.*	sock

Plants and animals
A tasty spring vegetable with a long shape. Can be white or green.†	asparagus
A conifer tree with aromatic wood.*	cedar
From "chaerephyllon": a delicate herb used in France. One of the fines herbes.	chervil
From "leirion", a white flower.*	lily
A large feline: a symbol of strength and courage.*†	lion
A tasty shell which sometimes contains a pearl.	oyster
From "petroselinon" meaning 'rock celery'. A fresh herb often used as a garnish.†	parsley
From "pison": small green legumes.*	pea
A large bird that has a bill with a pouch.	pelican
Derived from "Paean", the physician of the Greek gods. This large flower has a sweet scent. It was a favorite of Chinese painters.	peony
From Greek "pinē" meaning 'mussel' + Old English "wincel" meaning 'corner'. An edible sea snail. It seems to have been conflated with the word for a pale blue flower, which is etymologically unrelated.	periwinkle
From "proumnon", a certain stone fruit, often with dark blue skins.*	plum
A flower, often red, which is a symbol for love.*	rose
A porous marine animal used for cleaning.*	sponge

Misc.
In Greek, the word literally means 'cow's cheese'. In English it's the result of churning milk.	butter
Soft white type of limestone used on blackboards.	chalk
Something very large. From a large statue on Rhodes.†	colossus
Literally, 'hairy': a star with hair, or a fuzzy tail.†	comet
From "emphytos", originally a young plant. Later its meaning shifted to a small mischievous spirit or child.	imp
An instrument with pipes, or a body part.	organ
From "patanē", a cooking vessel.	pan
From "plateia", which means 'broad [way]'. Originally, an open space or square, but now a location in general.†	place
From "porphyra", a shell which yielded an expensive dye of this color.	purple
Ironically, the Greek word meant 'free time'. Now it is a place where children go to learn.	school
From "sērikos": a soft fabric made by a certain type of worm.*	silk
Originally, a unit for weight, or that weight in silver, which was a very large sum of money. Because of a biblical parable, its meaning changed to 'natural skill'.	talent
The Greek word meant 'lathe'. Now a verb meaning 'rotate' or 'change direction'.	turn

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2 Comments

Level 79

Mar 19, 2025

The following words have disputed etymologies. They may be derived from Greek: anchor April cod copper lewd mint (where coins are made) mint (the herb) money monger pier toll tower trout.

The words in this list are borrowings from French into late Old English or Middle English (the sources disagree):

adamant atom circle crown dialogue history horoscope panther theater.

Some other words: 'pantheon' was borrowed from Latin into either Old or Middle English. I did not include 'minster' because it derives from the same word as 'monk'.

Level 79

Mar 21, 2025

^ remove 'cod' from the list, it did not exist in Old English