From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of Greek Phrases/Proverbs

Contents
Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω See also

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 Animalium. (Cf. Latin Ex Africa semper aliquid novi, "From Africa always something new" -Pliny)

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 γεωμετρεῖ

Aei ho theos geōmetrei.

"God always geometrizes", Plato

Ἀεὶ ὁ θεὸς ὁ μέγας γεωμετρεῖ τό σύμπαν

Aei ho theos ho megas geōmetrei to sympan.

"Always the great god applies geometry to everything", A mnemonic for π (pi)

π = 3,1415926...

Ἀεὶ	ὁ	θεός	ὁ	μέγας	γεωμετρεῖ	τό	σύμπαν
3	1	4	1	5	9	2	6
3 letters	1 letter	4 letters	1 letter	5 letters	9 letters	2 letters	6 letters

Ἀετοῦ γῆρας, κορυδοῦ νεότης

Aëtou gēras, korydou neotēs.

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

Ἀἰὲν ἀριστεύειν

aien aristeuein

„Ever to Excel“

"Ever to Excel" is the English translation of the Ancient Greek motto of the University of St Andrews (founded 1410), the Edinburgh Academy (founded 1824), and Boston College (founded 1863). It is derived from the sixth book of Homer's Iliad, (Iliad 6. 208) in a speech Glaucus delivers to Diomedes:

"Hippolocus begat me. I claim to be his son, and he sent me to Troy with strict instructions: Ever to excel, to do better than others, and to bring glory to your forebears, who indeed were very great ... This is my ancestry; this is the blood I am proud to inherit."

Ἀνάγκᾳ δ’οὐδὲ θεοὶ μάχονται

Anankāi d'oude theoi machontai.

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

Ἀνδρῶν γαρ ἐπιφανῶν πᾶσα γῆ τάφος

Andrōn gar epiphanōn pasa gē taphos.

For illustrious men have the whole earth for their tomb. Pericles' Funeral Oration from Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 2.43.1

Ἀνεῤῥίφθω κύβος

Anerriphthō kybos.

Alea iacta est.

"The die has been cast." Pronounced by Julius Caesar when he entered Italy with his army in 49 BC. The phrase is reported in Greek by Plutarch but in Latin by Suetonius.

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.

Ἀπὸ μηχανῆς Θεός

Apo mēchanēs Theos

Deus ex machina

"God from the machine". This refers to unexpected help. It origins from the way god figures apeared in ancient Greek theaters where there was a machine holding them high to show they were coming from the sky. Typical scenarios where this expression would be used is for example "I had a car crash and the first person to pass by was a doctor, like Aπὸ μηχανῆς Θεός" and "I will break down the fax machine and when Jane tries to use it, I will appear there like Aπὸ μηχανῆς Θεός".

Ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ

Ariston men hydōr.

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

Ββ

b

βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν

basileia tōn ouranōn

"Heaven" is a foundational theological concept in Christianity and Judaism. Also: Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ (Basileia tou Theou = Kingdom of God).

According to Jesus, the Kingdom of God is within faithful people and angels with God as their King. It is the opposite of Hell which is for unfaithful people and daemons. The phrase occurs in the Gospel according to the Hebrews and in the New Testament more than 100 times

Βελλεροφόντης τά γράμματα

Bellerophontēs ta grammata

"bellerophontic letter"

King Proetus dared not to kill a guest, so he sent Bellerophon to king Iobates his father-in-law, bearing a sealed message in a folded tablet: "Pray remove the bearer from this world: he attempted to violate my wife, your daughter."

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

Γενηθήτω φῶς.

Genēthētō phōs.

Fiat lux.

"Let there be light"

This is the Latin translation of the Hebrew יְהִי אוֹר (yehiy 'or). The phrase is often used for its metaphorical meaning of dispelling ignorance.

Γλαῦκ’ Ἀθήναζε / Γλαῦκ’ εἰς Ἀθήνας

Glauk’ Athēnaze / Glauk’ eis Athēnas

"Owls (drachma coins) 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, as well as the motto of Hamilton College, a small liberal arts college in the United States.

Γόρδιον δεσμόν

Gordion desmon

"Gordian Knot"

The Gordian Knot is a legend associated with Alexander the Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem, solved by a bold stroke

Δδ

d

Δεῖμος καὶ Φόβος

Deimos kai Phobos

"horror and fear"

Deimos and Phobos are moons of Mars. They are named after the Greek god Deimos, a figure representing horror in Greek Mythology and Phobos (which means "fear"), sons of Ares (Mars).

Διαίρει καὶ βασίλευε

Diairei kai basileue.

"Divide and rule".

Διπλουν ὁρῶσιν οἱ μαθόντες γράμματα.

Diploun horōsin hoi mathontes grammata.

"Double see those who know the letters."

Inscription in Edinburgh from 1954: ΔΙΠΛΟΥΝ ΟΡΩΣΙΝ ΟΙ ΜΑΘΟΝΤΕΣ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΑ.

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.

Εε

(h)e

Εἷς οἰωνὸς ἄριστος, ἀμύνεσθαι περὶ πάτρης

Eis oiōnos aristos, amynesthai peri patrēs

"There is only one omen, that a man should fight for his country" — Hector to Polydamas when the latter was superstitious about a bird omen. The omen was an eagle that flew with a snake in its talons, still alive and struggling to escape. The snake was twisting itself backwards till it struck the bird on the neck, forcing the eagle to let the snake fall. (Homer, Iliad, 12).

Ἐκ τῶν ὧν οὐκ ἄνευ

Ek tōn hōn ouk aneu

"Sine qua non"

Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα

Hen oida hoti ouden oida

"I know one thing, that I know nothing", (Socrates, paraphrased from Plato's Apology)

Ἐπεὶ δ' οὖν πάντες ὅσοι τε περιπολοῦσιν φανερῶς καὶ ὅσοι φαίνονται καθ' ὅσον ἂν ἐθέλωσιν θεοὶ γένεσιν ἔσχον, λέγει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ τόδε τὸ πᾶν γεννήσας τάδε

Epei d' oun pantes hōsoi te peripolousin phanerōs kai hōsoi phainontai kath' hōson an ethelōsin theoi genesin eschon, legei pros autous ho tode to pan gennēsas tade

"When all of them, those gods who appear in their revolutions, as well as those other gods who appear at will had come into being, the creator of the universe addressed them the following" (Plato, Timaios, 41a, on gods and the Creator of the universe)

Εὕρηκα!

Heurēka!

"Eureka!" — while Archimedes was taking a bath, he noticed that the level of the water rose as he got in; having suddenly discovered that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged. This meant that the volume of irregular objects could be calculated with precision, a previously intractable problem. He was so excited that he ran through the streets naked and still wet from his bath, crying "I have found it!".

Ζζ

Ζῷον δίπουν ἄπτερον

zōon dipoun apteron

"two-legged animal without feathers"

Plato's definition of man^[1], latinized as "Animal bipes implume"

To critisize this definition, Diogenes the Cynic plucked a chicken and brought it into Plato's Academy saying:

οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Πλάτωνος ἄνθρωπος

outos estin o Platōnos anthrōpos

"here is Plato's man".

In responce, Plato added to his definition:

πλατυώνυχον

platuōnuchon

"having broad nails" — (Diogenes Laertios, Lives of eminent philosophers, VI.40)

ζῷον πολιτικὸν

zōon politikon

Aristotle, Politics, book 1: ὁ ἄνθρωπος φύσει πολιτικὸν ζῷον

"Man is by nature a political animal", i.e. animal of the polis or social being

Ηη

(h)ē

Ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς

Ē tan ē epi tas

"Either with it, or on it", "Either with your shield, or upon it " - 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 bravery and duty to Sparta and Greece. A hoplite could not escape the field of battle unless he tossed away the heavy and cumbersome shield. Therefore losing one's shield meant desertion. (Plutarch, Moralia, 241)

Ἡ φύσις οὐδὲν ποιεῖ ἅλματα.

Hē physis ouden poiei halmata.

"Nature does not make (sudden) jumps."

A principle of natural philosophies since Aristotle's time, the exact phrase coming from Carl von Linné.

Latin: Natura non facit saltus.

Θθ

th

Θάλασσα καὶ πῦρ καὶ γυνή, κακὰ τρία

Thalassa kai pŷr kai gynē, kaka tria.

"Sea and fire and woman, three evils."

Θάλαττα, θάλαττα.

Thalatta, thalatta.

„The Sea! The Sea!“

Thalatta! Thalatta! from Xenophon's Anabasis. It was the shouting of joy when the roaming 10,000 Greeks saw Euxeinos Pontos (the Black Sea) from Mount Theches (Θήχης) in Armenia after participating in Cyrus the Younger's failed march against Persian Empire in the year 401 BC.

θέρος, τρύγος, πόλεμος.

Theros, trygos, polemos.

„Summer, harvest, war.“

Ιι

(h)i

Ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν·

Iatre therapeuson seauton;

"Physician, take care of your own self!"

"Medice cura te ipsum."

This is a Latin injunction, urging physicians to care for and heal themselves first, before dealing with patients. It was made famous in the Latin translation of the Bible, the Vulgate. The proverb was quoted by Jesus, recorded in the Gospel of Luke chapter 4:23. Luke the Evangelist was himself a physician.

Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς Θεοῦ Υἱὸς Σωτήρ

Iēsous Christos Theou Hyios Sōtēr

"Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour." As an acronym: ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys) — "fish".

Ισχύς μου η Αγάπη του Λαού.

"Ischys mū i agapi tou laou."

"The people's love, my strength.“

Motto of the Royal House of Glücksburg.

Κκ

k, c

Καὶ σὺ τέκνον;

Kai sy teknon;

"And thou, my child?" or "Even you, my child?" (Et tu, Brute?)

On March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was attacked by a group of senators, including Marcus Junius Brutus, a senator and Caesar's adopted son. Caesar initially resisted his attackers, but when he saw Brutus, he supposedly spoke those words and resigned himself to his fate. It is almost certain that Caesar did not actually say these exact words. Ancient sources report that he either died wordlessly or said "Καὶ σύ, τέκνον" (Kai sy, teknon?), Greek for "You too, my child?" (Suetonius, De Vita Caesarum, LXXXII [1]). This Latin version was made famous by William Shakespeare, who used it in his play, Julius Caesar (act 3, scene 1,85).

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 of Discord.

Κάτθανε, Διαγόρα, οὐ καὶ ἐς Ὄλυμπον ἀναβήσῃ

Katthane, Diagora, ou kai es Olympon anabēsē.

"Die, Diagoras, for ascend Olympus (i.e. join the gods) you cannot" — A Spartan spectator to Diagoras of Rhodes, a former Olympic champion himself, during the 79th Olympiad, when his two sons became Olympic champions and carried him around the stadium on their shoulders.

Κρῆτες, ἀεὶ ψεῦσται

Krētes aei pseustai

"All Cretans are liars" — One of the earliest logical paradoxes attributed to Epimenides of Knossos known as the Epimenides paradox. As Epimenides is a Cretan himself, it leads to the conclusion that the above statement is not true, hence the paradox.

κτῆμα ἐς ἀεί

ktēma es aei

"everlasting possession" (Thucydides)

Κύριε ἐλέησον

Kyrie eleēson.

"Lord have mercy" — a very common phrase in Greek Orthodox liturgies, and also used in Greek in the Roman Catholic Mass.

Λλ

l

Λάθε βιώσας

Lathe biōsas

"Live hidden", an Epicurean phrase. It synthesizes Epicurus' dislike for politics. In fact, they trouble men and don't allow him to reach "inner peace" - which is the main goal for Epicureans. So Epicurus suggested that everybody should live "Hidden" far cities, not even considering a political career. This idea will be heavily criticized by Cicero who, as a stoic, had a completely different opinion about politics.

λέγειν τὰ λεγόμενα

Legein ta legomena

"I tell as I was told", or "I report reports"

From Herodotus (7,52 etc.):

Ἐγὼ δὲ ὀφείλω λέγειν τὰ λεγόμενα, πείθεσθαί γε μὲν οὐ παντάπασι ὀφείλω.

Latin: Prodenda, quia prodita or Relata refero

Μμ

m

Μέτρον ἄριστον.

Métron áriston.

"Moderation is the best thing."

In ocassions that neither too much nor too little is a good choice. For example when eating or celebrating.Cleobulus

Μὴ γένοιτο.

Mē genoito.

"Let it not be!" / "Heaven forbid!"

Phrase used by St Paul.

Μὴ μοῦ τοὺς κύκλους τάραττε.

Mē mou tous kyklous taratte.

"Do not disturb my circles."

The last words attributed to Archimedes. During the raid of Syracousai by the Romans, Archimedes was busy drawing circles. He was eventually attacked and killed by a Roman soldier.

Μὴ χείρον βέλτιστον.

Mē cheíron béltiston.

"The least bad [choice] is the best."

When there is no good option, one should pick the one that does the least harm.

Μηδὲν ἄγαν.

Mēden ágan.

"Nothing in excess"

Inscription from the temple of Apollo at Delphi

Μηκέτι υδροπότει, αλλ' οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχόν σου και τας πυκνάς σου ασθενείας.

Mēketi hydropotei, all' oinōi oligōi chrō dia ton stomachon sou kai tas pyknas sou astheneias.

Stop drinking only water, but take a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities.

From the 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.

μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως

mystērion tēs písteōs

mystery of faith

Latinized as Mysterium Fidei is a Christian theological term. It means that believing has an unexplainable way of changing one's life. The phrase appears in the Roman Rite without indicating a specific mystery as the word mystery in that phrase has a more general meaning.

Νν

n

Ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ·

Nai nai, ou ou;

"Yes yes, no no."

Gospel of Matthew 5:37 "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No"

“33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

Νενικήκαμεν.

Nenikékamen.

"We have won."

The traditional story relates that the Athenian herald Pheidippides ran the 40 km (25 miles) from the battlefield near the town of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word 'We have won') and collapsed and died on the spot because of exhaustion.

Νίψον ἀνομήματα μὴ 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^[2]

Ξξ

x

Ξένος ὢν ἀκολούθει τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις νόμοις.

Xenos ōn akolouthei tois epichōriois nomois.

"Do in Rome as Rome does."

Quotation from the works of Menander.

Ξύλινον τεῖχος

Xýlinon teîchos

"wooden defensive wall"

Literally and, especially, the "walls" of ships during the Persian Wars.

Οο

(h)o

Οἶνοψ πόντος

Oinops pontos.

"Wine dark sea" — A common Homeric epithet of the sea, for which numerous articles have been written.

Ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι

Hoper edei deixai.

"Quod erat demonstrandum", "Which we had to prove" — (abbreviated as "ΟΕΔ") used by early mathematicians including Euclid and Archimedes, written at the end of a mathematical proof or philosophical argument, to signify the proof as complete. Later it became "QED" or the Halmos tombstone box symbol.

Οὔ με πείσεις, κάν με πείσεις

Ou me peiseis, kan me peiseis

"You will not convince me even if you do convince me"

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 ἐμοὶ γ' ὄνομα

Outis emoi g' onoma.

"My name is Nobody". Odysseus to Polyphemus when asked what his name was. (Homer, Odyssey, ix, 366).

Ππ

p

Παπαί, Μαρδόνιε, κοίους ἐπ' ἄνδρας ἤγαγες μαχησομένους ἡμέας, οἳ οὐ περὶ χρημάτων τὸν ἀγῶνα ποιεῦνται ἀλλὰ περὶ ἀρετῆς.

Papai, Mardonie, koious ep' andras ēgages machēsomenous hēmeas hoi ou peri chrēmatōn ton agōna poieuntai alla peri aretēs

"Good heavens! Mardonius, what kind of men are these against whom you have brought us to fight? Men who do not compete for money, but for honour." — Spontaneous response of Tritantaechmes, a Persian general, while Xerxes was interrogating some locals at Thermopylae. Xerxes asked why there were so few Greek fighters at Thermopylae. The answer was "All the others are participating in the Olympic Games". And when asked "What is the prize for the winner?", "An olive-wreath" came the answer.

Πέμπε δέ μιν Λυκίην δέ, πόρεν δ' ὅ γε σήματα λυγρὰ γράψας ἐν πίνακι πτυκτῷ θυμοφθόρα πολλά

pempe de min Lykiēn de, poren d' ho ge sēmata lygra grapsas en pinaki ptyktōi thymophthora 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) love." (1 Corinthians, 13, 13.)

πύξ, λάξ, δάξ

pyx, lax, dax

"With fists, kicks, and bites"

Πύξ: πυγμή = fist, Λάξ: λάκτισμα = kick, Δάξ: δαγκωματια = bite

Epigram describing how laypersons were chased away from the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Ρρ

rh

Ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς

Rhododaktylos Ēōs

"Rosy-fingered dawn."

This phrase occurs frequently in the Homeric poems referring to Eos, the Titanic goddess of the dawn. Eos with "rosy fingers" opened the gates of heaven so that Helios could ride his chariot across the sky every day.

Σσ

s

Σπεῦδε βραδέως

Speude bradeōs.

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

Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρα κίνει

Syn Athēnāi kai kheira kinei.

"Along with Athena, move also your hands", or "Goddess Athena supports you, but you yourself must act too." (Cf. the English "God helps those who help themselves.")

Ττ

t

Τὰ πάντα ῥεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει.

Ta panta rhei kai ouden menei.

"Everything flows, nothing stands still." Heraclitus

Τὴν δέ μεγάλην ἤπειρον, ὑφ' ἧς ἡ μεγάλη περιέχεται κύκλῳ θάλαττα, τῶν μὲν ἂλλων ἔλαττον ἀπέχει, τῆς δ' Ὠγυγίας περὶ πεντακισχιλίους σταδίους.

Tēn de megalēn ēpeiron hyph' hēs hē megalē periechetai kyklō thalatta, tōn men allōn elatton apechei, tēs d' Ōgygias peri pentakischilious stadious.

"The great continent which is surrounded on all sides by the great sea, they say, lies less distant from the others, but about five thousand stadia from Ogygia." Plutarch on the great continent west of the Atlantic Ocean

Τί δύσκολον; Τὸ ἐαυτὸν γνῶναι.

Ti dyskolon? To eauton gnōnai.

"What is hard? To know yourself." Thales

Τί εὔκολον; Τὸ ἄλλῳ ὑποτίθεσθαι.

Ti eukolon? To allō hypotithestai.

"What is easy? To advise others." Thales

Τί κοινότατον; Ἐλπίς. Καὶ γὰρ οἳς ἄλλο μηδέν, αὔτη παρέστη.

Ti koinotaton? Elpis. Kai gar hois allo mēden, autē parestē.

"What is quite common? Hope. Because even these who have nothing, they do have that." Thales

Τί τάχιστον; Νούς. Διὰ παντὸς γὰρ τρέχει.

Ti tachiston? Nous. Dia pantos gar trechei.

"What is the fastest? Nous (mind). It always travels." Thales

Τὸ γὰρ ἡδύ, ἐὰν πολύ, οὐ τι γὲ ἡδύ.

To gar hēdy, ean poly, ou ti ge hēdy.

"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."

Τὸ πεπρωμένον φυγεῖν ἀδύνατον.

To peprōmenon phygein adynaton.

"It's impossible to escape from what is destined."

Υυ

(h)y

υἱὸς μονογενὴς

hyios monogenes

"Only-begotten son"

Unigenitus (named for its Latin opening words Unigenitus dei filius, or "Only-begotten son of God") is an apostolic constitution in the form of a papal bull promulgated by Pope Clement XI in 1713.

Ὕστερον πρότερον

Hysteron proteron

"The latter one first."

Rhetorical device in which the first key word of the idea refers to something that happens temporally later than the second key word. The goal is to call attention to the more important idea by placing it first. The standard example comes from the Aeneid of Virgil:

"Moriamur, et in media arma ruamus" ("Let us die, and charge into the thick of the fight"; ii. 353).

Φφ

ph

Φοβοῦ τοὺς Δαναοὺς καὶ δῶρα φέροντας

Phobou tous Danaous kai dōra pherontas.

"Beware of the Danaans (Greeks), even bearing gifts."

An expression to urge cautiousness when someone changes from hostile to friendly. Well known as a verse from the Aeneid written by Virgil, reading (Quidquid id est) timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.

Φοινικήϊα γράμματα

Phoinikeia grammata

"Phoenician letters"

The Phoenician prince Cadmus was generally accredited by Greeks like Herodotus^[3] with the introduction of the Phoenician alphabet several centuries before the Trojan war, around 2000 BC.^[4]

Χχ

kh, ch

Χαίρε, Καίσαρ, οἱ μελλοθάνατοι σε χαιρετούν.

Khaire Kaisar, hoi mellothanatoi se khairetoun.

Hail, Caesar, those who are about to die salute you.

Latin: "Ave Caesar morituri te salutant." The first literary attestation is in Suetonius, De Vita Caesarum, 5 (Divus Claudius), 21, 6,

Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά

Khalepa ta kala.

"The good/beautiful/fine/honorable things are difficult [to attain]." [cf Plato, Republic 4, 435c.]

Ψψ

ps

Ψυχῆς ἰατρεῖον

Psykhēs iatreion.

"Hospital of the soul".

The Library of Alexandria, also known as the Great Library in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the world.

A story concerns how its collection grew so large: by decree of Ptolemy III of Egypt, all visitors to the city were required to surrender any form of written media in any language in their possession which were listed under the heading "books of the ships". These writings were then swiftly copied by official scribes. Sometimes the copies were so precise that the originals were put into the library and the copies were delivered to the unsuspecting previous owners. This process also helped to create a reservoir of books in the relatively new city.

The phrase is used "in reverse" as ἰατρεῖον ψυχῆς as a motto for Carolina Rediviva, a university library in Uppsala.

Ωω

(h)ō

Ὦ ξεῖν’, ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε

κείμεθα τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι.

Ō xein’, angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tēde

keimetha tois keinōn rhēmasi peithomenoi.

"Stranger, tell the Spartans that here we lie, obedient to their laws." (Epigram , a single elegiac couplet by Simonides on the dead of Thermopylae).

῎Ωδινεν ὄρος καὶ ἔτεκε μῦν.

Ōdinen oros kai eteke myn.

A mountain had labour pains and a mouse was born

Horace wrote Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus;^[5] "the mountains will labour, a ridiculous mouse will be born." Horace here meant to poke fun at heroic labours producing meager results; his line is also an allusion to one of Æsop's fables, The Mountain in Labour.

The title to Shakespeare's play, Much Ado about Nothing, expresses a similar sentiment.

ὡς ἐν ἄλλῳ κόσμῳ

hōs en allō kosmō

as if in another world

Proverb quoted by Desiderius Erasmus in his Adagia.

See also

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

Notes

External links

• Greek proverbs on Wikiquote