katharevousa
/ˌkɑθəˈɹɛvusɑ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A learned, archaising form of Modern Greek, based on Classical Greek and used for formal and official purposes; it was legally displaced as the official language of Greece in 1976 by Demotic Greek.
name
Alternative form of Katharevousa
Example Sentences
- "‘You read the poetry of Cavafy, I have taught you to speak Katharevousa and Italian.’"
- "A year later, after much deliberation and public discussion, an act of parliament established that demotic Greek was to replace the hybrid katharevousa as the official language of education – and therefore, in practice, in most walks of life (exceptions are the Church and law)."
Etymology
From Greek καθαρεύουσα (katharévousa), feminine of καθαρεύων (katharévon), present participle of Ancient Greek καθαρεύω (kathareúō, “to be clean, pure”).
Origin
- Source language: Greek
Word Breakdown
- Root: καθαρεύουσα, καθαρεύω
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌkɑθəˈɹɛvusɑ/
- British English: /ˌkaθəˈɹɛvuːsə/
Phrases
Category of Katharevousa words