Word origins

• KalomoiraA transliteration of the Greek female given name Καλομοίρα (Kalomoíra).
• karidopitaA Greek walnut cake.
• kasseriA medium-hard pale yellow cheese of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, usually made from unpasteurized sheep milk.
• katharevousaA 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.
• kazisA surname from Greek.
• kefalogravieraA hard Greek cheese with a salty flavour and rich aroma, made from sheep milk.
• kefalotyriA Greek cheese similar to parmesan.
• kefiHigh spirits, ebullience, chiefly in Greece or among Greek people.
• keftedesA Greek dish of meatballs, similar to koftas.
• KiatoA town in the northern part of Corinthia regional unit, Peloponnese, Greece.
• kleftikoA Greek dish of lamb marinated and baked on the bone.
• klephtAn anti-Ottoman insurgent living in the mountains when Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire.
• KoiliarisA surname from Greek.
• kokoretsiA traditional Greek dish typically consumed at Easter, consisting mainly of seasoned lamb or goat offal.
• komboskiniA rope of usually 33, 50 or 100 knots, used in meditative prayer in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic tradition, to count one's recitations of the Jesus Prayer.
• konakiA shrine for the Anastenaria.
• KonstadinaA transliteration of the Greek female given name Κωνσταντίνα (Konstantína).
• KonstadinosA transliteration of the Greek male given name Κωνσταντίνος (Konstantínos).
• KonstantinaA transliteration of the Greek female given name Κωνσταντίνα (Konstantína).
• kopanistiA traditional cheese made in the Cyclades.
• koulouriA bagel or ring doughnut shaped bread roll covered with sesame or sunflower seeds, often sold on the streets of Greece and Cyprus.
• koumbarosThe person who, during a Greek Orthodox wedding, exchanges the crowns over the couple's heads and has other related roles
• kourabiedesAlmond biscuits or cookies popular in the Greek and Cypriot communities.
• KoutsosA surname.
• kri-kriferal Cretan goat
• KritikosA surname from Greek.
• laoutoA Greek or Cypriot musical instrument of the lute family.
• LaskarisA transliteration of the Greek surname Λάσκαρης (Láskaris).
• LekasA surname from Greek.
• loukanikoA Greek sausage flavoured with orange peel, fennel seed, and other seasonings, and sometimes smoked over aromatic wood.
• loukoumadesPastries made of deep-fried dough soaked in sugar syrup or honey and cinnamon, and sometimes sprinkled with sesame. (used especially of the Greek version of these pastries)
• lountzaA Cypriot dish of pork tenderloin brined and marinated in red wine, then dried and smoked.
• mantinadaAn improvised Cretan rhyming couplet.
• MavridisA surname from Greek.
• megalopoliAn ancient city and modern town in Greece located in the southwestern Arcadia prefecture.
• MeganisiA Greek island and municipality to the southeast of the island of Lefkada.
• melitzanosalataAn aubergine salad made with olive oil and lemon juice, popular in Cyprus and Greece.
• melomakaronaGreek honey macaroons with crushed walnuts, traditionally served at Christmas.
• metapolitefsiA transitional period in modern Greek history after the fall of the military junta of 1967–74, leading to elections and democracy.
• MetaxismA totalitarian nationalist ideology associated with Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas, calling for the regeneration of the Greek nation and the establishment of a modern, culturally homogenous Greece.
• MethoniA village in Messinia Regional Unit, Peloponnese, Greece.
• MetsovoA town in Greece located in the Ioannina prefecture
• MitsotakisKyriakos Mitsotakis (born 1968), Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece since 2019.
• MourelatosA surname from Greek.
• MoussataA village in Leivatho, Cephalonia, Greece.
• moutzaAn insulting and contemptuous gesture made with the fingers spread and palms thrust forward, traditional in Greece.
• NatsisA surname from Greek.
• NeapoliAny of several towns or subdivisions of towns in Greece, especially a suburb of Thessaloniki.
• NikoletaA transliteration of the Greek female given name Νικολέτα (Nikoléta).
• OdysseaA female given name from Greek, of rare usage.
• ouzeriA Greek taverna serving ouzo and snacks.
• paidakiaGreek grilled lambchops
• PanagopoulosA surname from Greek.
• pasteliA Greek/Cypriot confection made from sesame seeds and honey.
• PhanarioteAn inhabitant of Phanar, the historically Greek district of Constantinople; hence, a member of the Greek official class in the Ottoman Empire.
• phryganaA type of low brush or scrub found around the Mediterranean especially in Greece.
• phyletismThe doctrine and practice of organizing churches along exclusive and nationalist lines, condemned as heretical by the Council of Constantinople in 1872.
• PikermiA town in Attica, Greece.
• PitsiladisA surname from Greek.
• plateiaA town square in Greece or Cyprus
• protopresbyterAn archpriest or, in the Russian Orthodox tradition, a non-monastic priest ranking higher yet than an archpriest.
• PsakiA surname from Greek.
• rebetikoA Greek urban folk song, characterised by lyrics about underworld activity, and played generally on stringed instruments including the bouzouki.
• retsinaA Greek resinated white or rosé wine of a sort that has been produced for at least 2700 years.
• RomaicOf or pertaining to the Byzantine Empire, its inhabitants, or its language.
• RouketopolemosA traditional Easter event in the town of Vrontados (Βροντάδος) on the Greek island of Chios, in which rival church congregations fire large numbers of home-made rockets across town, attempting to hit each other's bell towers.
• RoussakisA surname.
• saganakiAny of various Greek dishes cooked in a small frying pan, especially an appetizer of pan-seared cheese.
• sceuophylaciumThe repository of the sacred vessels in the Greek church.
• sheftaliaA traditional Cypriot food, a type of crépinette, a sausage without skin, that uses caul fat or omentum to wrap the ingredients, rather than sausage casing.
• sirtakiA modern Greek folk dance, a mixture of the slow and fast versions of the hasapiko dance.
• skordaliaA thick garlic sauce used in Greek cuisine
• SokratisA transliteration of the Greek male given name Σωκράτης (Sokrátis).
• SoteriosA male given name from Greek.
• soutzoukiA dry, low-fat, spicy sausage from Greece and Turkey.
• spanakorizoA Greek pilaf dish of rice and spinach.
• StamoulisA surname from Greek.
• StavridisA surname from Greek.
• stifadoA Greek stew, typically made from rabbit meat, tomatoes, small onions and herbs.
• strapatsadaA Greek dish of tomatoes fried with olive oil, pepper, and beaten eggs.
• StylianiA transliteration of the Greek female given name Στυλιανή (Stylianí).
• Syrizathe Coalition of the Radical Left, a Greek political party
• TampakisA surname from Greek.
• taramasalted cured cod roe, used in making taramosalata
• TavrosA suburban city in Greece 5 km southwest of Athens and is located in the Attica prefecture.
• TheofanisA transliteration of the Greek male given name Θεοφάνης (Theofánis).
• tirokafteriA spicy Greek appetiser, a spread made from cheese, olive oil, hot peppers, etc.
• tiropitaA Greek pastry with layers of buttered phyllo, filled with a cheese-egg mixture.
• TrapezundFormer name of Trabzon.
• tsampounaA bagpipe of the Greek islands; a folk instrument without a drone but with two chanters.
• tsarouchiTraditional Greek leather shoe with pompom, now worn only by the evzonoi.
• tsifteteliA sensuous belly dance of Turkish origin, that is found in many of the territories of the former Ottoman Empire, particularly Greece.
• tsikoudiaA fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Cretan origin.
• tsitacismThe shift into [tʃ] / [dʒ] or [ts] / [dz] in some Modern Greek dialects, especially of but not limited to [c] / [ɟ].
• TsitourisA surname from Greek.
• tsourekiaA (loaf of) a sweet, leavened bread, enriched with egg, similar to brioche.
• tzourasA Greek long-necked fretted lute.
• varellasA surname from Greek.
• VasilikasA transliteration of the Greek female given name Βασιλικάσ (Vasilikás).
• vasilopitaA Greek celebratory cake, often containing a hidden coin, typically eaten on New Year's Day which is St Basil's day.