Everyday LifeGreek → English
Athens
/ˈæθɪnz/noun
The capital of Greece and the leading city of the classical Greek world.
The Greek roots
Ἀθῆναι
Athênai
Athens (plural)
Ἀθηνᾶ
Athēnâ
Athena, the goddess
Literally: “the places of Athena”
The story of the word
The Greek name is plural, Ἀθῆναι, as though the city were a cluster of villages that grew into one, and it is the same word as the goddess Ἀθηνᾶ. Which came first has never been settled; the -ήνη ending belongs to a layer of place names older than the Greek language, so the goddess may well be named after the site rather than the site after her. Myth answers more cleanly: Athena and Poseidon competed for the city, she produced the olive, and she won.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → French → English
Same family
AthenianAthenaeumParthenon
In a sentence
Athens in August empties out and the ferries fill up.
Fifth-century Athens paid for the Parthenon with tribute from its allies.