40 Spanish Words of Greek Origin

We can find Greek-origin words in almost all of our daily conversations. Ancient Greece not only influenced the forms of government of our modern society but also the way we communicate in other languages, especially Spanish. 

Let’s explore the presence of Greek in Spanish and why Greek is so strongly tied to the language you love learning!

Brief History of Spanish Language

Spanish is a Romance language derived from Latin that has had countless variants over time.

The Roman Empire adopted numerous patterns from the Greek—mainly in literature—and once they became a powerful civilization, they conquered territories in today’s European grounds. 

Their diffusion of Latin was a statement of dominance.

The real evolution from Latin to Spanish began when the Roman Empire invaded Cartago and, later, Hispania, where the native languages fused with Latin. 

After the Roman Empire fell, Latin slowly returned during the Middle Ages as an intellectual lingo. They considered Latin essential in Literature and Science during the Greco-Latin ages.

By the Middle Ages, texts in Latin were translated into Castellano, a popular dialect in Spain. This exercise spread this new language over the population as Castilla grew politically and geographically.

Learn more: Differences Between Latin American and Castillian Spanish

In reality, Spanish comes from “vulgar” (spoken) Latin, and most Romance languages come mainly from spoken rather than written Latin.

Greek Influence on Spanish

Greek was a prestigious language back when Greece was a powerful society. This is why the Romans took so much from this civilization—namely, their literature. Scientists and philosophers used the “more proper” version of Greek, resulting in the “regular” people seeing them as cult and educated.

As a result, Romans decided that Latin should take some aspects of Greek. As we saw above, Latin is the main language from which Spanish was born, which explains the inevitable hints of Greek in Spanish as we know it today. 

Morphological Influence

We can find the Greek influence in Spanish mainly in Medicine and Science, the Greeks’ favorite subjects. As you explore the Greek origin words I’ve prepared for you, you will find that Spanish uses Greek words mostly as suffixes or prefixes and rarely as complete words. 

Here are some examples:

• Bio-
• Hemo- or hemato-
• Neuro-

Numerical prefixes of Greek in Spanish include these:

• Mono- (Once)
• Di- (Twice)
• Tri- (Three times)

Symbols used in Mathematics or Arithmetic (⅀, 𝛑) are also evident influences of Greek in Spanish and our modern life.

40 Greek Origin Words in Spanish

With the following list, discover how Spanish words are tied to Greek words and how some of them are even similar to words in English!

Note! Before you check out the list, know that the term Hellenisms refers to Greek-origin words that have made their way into modern-day Spanish. The list below uses the term Hellenisms in reference to prefixes or suffixes of Greek origin that we use in everyday Spanish words.

1. Aire

Greek: ἀήρ – ἀερός , ἡ

Spanish Roots: aero-

Other Meanings: niebla, atmósfera

Hellenisms: aéreo, aerostático, aerodinámica

English Translation: air

2. Agudo

Greek: ἄκρος-α-ον

Spanish Roots: acro-

Other Meanings: elevado, alto

Hellenisms: acrofobia, acrópolis, acróbata

English Translation: acute, severe

3. Antiguo

Greek: ἀρχαίος-α-ον

Spanish Roots: arca-, arque-

Hellenisms: arcaico, arqueología, arquetipo

English Translation: antique

4. Cien

Greek: ἑκατόν

Spanish Roots: hecto-

Hellenisms: hectolitro, hectárea

English Translation: hundred

5. Conocer / Saber

Greek: γιγνώσκω

Spanish Roots: (g)no(s)

Hellenisms: gnosis, agnóstico, diagnóstico, pronóstico

English Translation: [to] know

6. Corazón

Greek: καρδία-ας, ἡ

Spanish Roots: cardi-, cardio-

Hellenisms: cardíaco, cardiopatía

English Translation: heart

7. Dedo

Greek: δάκτυλος-ου, ὁ

Spanish Roots: dactil(o)

Hellenisms: dactilar, pterodáctilo

English Translation: finger

8. Dentro

Greek: ἔνδον

Spanish Roots: endo-

Hellenisms: endógeno, endoscopio, endotérmico

English Translation: within, inside of

9. Diez

Greek: δέκα

Spanish Roots: deca-

Hellenisms: década, decámetro

English Translation: ten [times] 

10. Dolor

Greek: ἄλγος-ους, τὸ

Spanish Roots: -algia

Hellenisms: neuralgia, artralgia, analgésico

English Translation: pain (algia)

11. Dos [veces] 

Greek: δίς

Spanish Roots: dis-

Hellenisms: diedro, dilema

English Translation: twice

12. Doce [veces]

Greek: δώδεκα

Spanish Roots: dodeka

Hellenisms: dodecasílabo, dodecágono

English Translation: twelve [times]

13. Dulce

Greek: γλυκύς-εῖα-ύ

Spanish Roots: glic-, gluc-

Hellenisms: glucemia, glucosa, glúcidos

English Translation: sweet (especially referring to glucose and derived words)

14. [Uno] Mismo (a)

Greek: αὐτός-ή-όν

Spanish Roots: auto-

Other Meanings: Él / ella mismo(a)

Hellenisms: autodidacta, autobiografía

English Translation: self, auto-

15. Enfermedad

Greek: ἀσθενεία-ας, ἡ

Spanish Roots: astenia, asténico

Other Meanings: debilidad

Hellenisms: miastenia, neurastenia

English Translation: asthenia

16. Escribir

Greek: γράφω

Spanish Roots: grafo, grafía

Other Meanings: dibujar

Hellenisms: gráfico, ortografía, bibliografía

English Translation: [to] write

17. Flecha

Greek: βέλος-ους , τὸ

Spanish Roots: bal-, bol-

Other Meanings: dardo

Hellenisms: bola, bolos, ballesta

English Translation: arrow

18. Fuera [de]

Greek: ἔξω

Spanish Roots: exo-

Hellenisms: exógeno, exocrino, exoftálmico

English Translation: out of, exogenous.

19. Gobernar

Greek: ἄρχω

Spanish Roots: -arquía, -arca

Other Meanings: Ser el primero

Hellenisms: oligarquía, monarca

English Translation: [to] govern, form of government

20. Grave

Greek: βαρύς-εῖα-ύ

Spanish Roots: bari-, baro-

Other Meanings: pesado

Hellenisms: barítono, barómetro, barifonía

English Translation: deep, low

21. Intestino

Greek: ἔντερον-ου, τὸ

Spanish Roots: entero-

Hellenisms: gastroenteritis, entérico

English Translation: intestine

22. Lengua

Greek: γλῶσσα [γλῶττα]-ης,ἡ

Spanish Roots: glota, glosa

Hellenisms: políglota, glosa, glotis

English Translation: tongue

23. Letra

Greek: γράμμα-ατος, το

Spanish Roots: -grama

Other Meanings: inscripción, documento

Hellenisms: pentagrama, holograma, gramática

English Translation: letter

24. Linaje

Greek: γένος-ους , τὸ

Spanish Roots: gen-, geno-

Other Meanings: clase, género, especie

Hellenisms: génesis, género, genealogía

English Translation: lineage, descent

25. Matrimonio

Greek: γάμος-ου, ὁ

Spanish Roots: -gamo

Other Meanings: unión, casamiento

Hellenisms: polígamo, monógamo

English Translation: marriage

26. Malo

Greek: δύς

Spanish Roots: dis-

Hellenisms: disfunción, dislexia

English Translation: bad, not working, without [smt]

27. Médico

Greek: ἰατρός-ου, ὁ

Spanish Roots: -iatría, -iatra

Hellenisms: psiquiatría, pediatría

English Translation: doctor

28. Mujer

Greek: γυνή-γυναικός, ἡ

Spanish Roots: gin-, gineco-

Hellenisms: ginecólogo, misógino

English Translation: woman

29. Nueve

Greek: ἐννέα

Spanish Roots: enea-

Hellenisms: eneágono, eneaedro

English Translation: nine [times]

30. Once

Greek: ἕνδεκα

Spanish Roots: endeca-

Hellenisms: endecasílabo

English Translation: eleven [times]

31. Piel

Greek: δέρμα-ατος, τὸ

Spanish Roots: derm-, dermato-

Hellenisms: dermis, epidermis, dermatólogo

English Translation: skin, dermis

32. Población

Greek: δῆμος-ου, ὁ

Spanish Roots: demo-

Other Meanings: pueblo

Hellenisms: demografía, democracia

English Translation: population, people

33. Poder

Greek: δύναμις-εως, ἡ

Spanish Roots: dinam-, dinamo-

Other Meanings: fuerza

Hellenisms: dinámico, dinamizar

English Translation: power

34. Pueblo

Greek: ἔθνος-ους, τὸ

Spanish Roots: etno-

Other Meanings: raza, grupo

Hellenisms: etnia, entografía

English Translation: people, ethnicity

35. Sangre

Greek: αἷμα- ατος, τὸ

Spanish Roots: hemo-, hemato-

Hellenisms: hematoma, hemorragia, hematología

English Translation: blood

36. Ser humano

Greek: ἄνθρωπος-ου, ὁ

Spanish Roots: antropo-

Other Meanings: hombre

Hellenisms: antropología, misántropo, filántropo

English Translation: human being

37. Tierra

Greek: γή-γῆς, ἡ

Spanish Roots: ge-, geo-

Other Meanings: suelo

Hellenisms: geografía, geología, geocéntrico

English Translation: earth, soil

38. Varón

Greek: ἀνήρ-ἀνδρός, ὁ

Spanish Roots: andro-

Other Meanings: hombre, esposo

Hellenisms: androide, androfobia

English Translation: man

39. Vida

Greek: βίος-ου, ὁ

Spanish Roots: bio-

Hellenisms: biología, biografía, biopsia

English Translation: life

40. Vientre

Greek: γαστήρ-γαστρός, ἡ

Spanish Roots: gastr-, gastro-

Other Meanings: estómago

Hellenisms: gastritis, gastroenteritis

English Translation: stomach 

Click here for an additional list of Greek-origin words in Spanish!

Greek Alphabet

Weren’t all those Greek-origin words interesting? I have something else for you! Check out the Greek alphabet in Spanish and find if some words and symbols are familiar to you!

Greco-Latin Literature

As we discovered the relevance Greek still holds in Spanish, we should be open to read more about this society and how it set the foundations for our modern world in Science, Literature, and Medicine. 

Here are some awesome books of Greco-Latin literature that you don’t want to miss!

The Odyssey

• Paperback and Kindle in English
• Kindle in Spanish

The Iliad

• Paperback and Kindle in English
• Kindle in Spanish

Edipo Rey

• Kindle in Spanish

Enhance Your Spanish

The deeper we dive into any topic, the easier it is for us to learn it! Now that you are more familiar with these Spanish words and their origin, make sure to practice them to increase your fluency! By signing up for a free class, you will have a one-on-one session with a native Spanish speaker to polish your Spanish and make the best out of your language learning experience.

Did you know that knowing more languages means better job opportunities? Translators and interpreters are thriving these days! Their profession is paving its way to become a wide field with incredible opportunities to get your dream job! 

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