Roots of English Words in Greek Mythology

Have you wondered about the roots of English words in Greek mythology?  Well, wonder no more. Following is but a few of the words which have a root in Greek mythology.  

Ancient people were curious about life, the world, and how and why things happen.  They wanted to know how we got here, what those points of light in the sky are, why there are seasons, and what is our purpose. Mythology started as a way to explain all these things and to guide the behavior of people.    

Greek mythology is a mixture of old religious beliefs and rituals, taken from various cultures. Gradually, people came to believe that there were powerful beings that controlled the stars, seasons, weather, and plant and animal life.

These gods ruled from Mount Olympus and many temples were built to them. The people felt that if the gods were happy, they would enjoy good health, crops would be plentiful, and life would be good.  If the gods were displeased, then they would send famine, drought, earthquakes (from Poseidon), storms, and lightning (from Zeus). 

Roots of English Words in Greek Mythology

The names of the gods live on through their stories and language. Many English words have Greek roots and a lot of them come straight from the names of certain gods. 

Here are some roots of English words in Greek mythology. They are presented in this order:

the Greek word or name = a description telling who they were - the English word = the definition

• Atlas = condemned to carry the heavens upon his shoulders - atlas = book of maps
• Ceres = goddess of agriculture - cereal = food made from grains
• Clotho = the Fate who spun the thread of life - cloth = material made by weaving
• Cronos = keeper of time - chronology = events in order of time
• Erôs = god of love and sexual desire - erotic = sexual in nature
• Fortuna = goddess of luck - fortune = chance or luck
• Hypnos = god of sleep - hypnosis = a sleep-like state of consciousness
• Hêlios = God of the sun and guardian of oaths - heliotrope = plant that turns towards the sun
• Jove - another name for Jupiter - jovial = jolly, merry
• Khaos = the nothingness from which all sprang - chaos = confusion, disorder
• Mars = god of war - martial = relating to or about war
• Mercury = messenger to the gods - mercurial = fast or changingMuses = goddesses of music - musical = of or like music
• Narcissus = a very vain god who fell in love with his own reflection - narcissism = extreme love of self
• Nectar = drink of the gods - nectar, nectarine = fruit juice or sweet plant secretion
• Nymphe = beautiful maidens, lesser deities who cared for plants and animals = nymph = beautiful woman
• Ôkeanos = God of the river Oceanus, the source of all the Earth's fresh-water - ocean = large body of water
• Typhon = father of all monsters - typhoon = huge rotating tropical storm
• Vulcan = god of fire - volcano = opening in the earth through which lava erupts
• Zephyrus = god of the west wind - zephyr = gentle west wind

Ancient Greek Words

Now that you have a list of roots of English words in Greek mythology, here is another list. Many, many English words are derived from ancient Greek words. Here is a very short list of some of them. The Greek word is listed first; the root word is second, followed by the definition:

• Angeion – angio - vessel
• Bios – bio - life
• Deka – deka - ten
• Energeia – energeia - energy
• Gigas – gigant - huge, enormous
• Glossis – gloss - tongue
• Hippos - hipp(o) - horse
• Kūdos – kūd - glory, fame
• Logos – logo - thought, word
• Metro – metr - to measure
• Neuron - neur(o) - nerve, sinew
• Petra – petra - rock
• Phōnē – phōnē - voice
• Pseudo - pseud(o) - false
• Thermos – therm - hot
• Toxicon – toxic - poison
• Zōnē – zōn - belt