Athens
//ˈæθənz// name
name ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Proper Noun
- 1 The capital city of Greece.
"[T]he law codes drafted in Athens in the late seventh and early sixth centuries were the work of individuals, Drakon and then Solon."
- 2 A surname from Greek.
- 3 The Greek government. metonymically
- 4 Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Limestone County, Alabama.
- 5 Several places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Howard County, Arkansas.
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- 6 Several places in the United States:; A large unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, California.
- 7 Several places in the United States:; A sizable city, the county seat of Clarke County, Georgia, consolidated with Clarke County as Athens-Clarke County.
- 8 Several places in the United States:; A city in Menard County, Illinois.
- 9 Several places in the United States:; An unincorporated community and hamlet in Henry Township, Fulton County, Indiana.
- 10 Several places in the United States:; A small unincorporated village outside of Lexington, Kentucky.
- 11 Several places in the United States:; A village in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.
- 12 Several places in the United States:; A town in Somerset County, Maine.
- 13 Several places in the United States:; A village in Calhoun County, Michigan.
- 14 Several places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Monroe County, Mississippi.
- 15 Several places in the United States:; A ghost town in Clark County, Missouri.
- 16 Several places in the United States:; A former mining settlement and ghost town in Nye County, Nevada.
- 17 Several places in the United States:; A town and village in Greene County, New York.
- 18 Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Athens County, Ohio.
- 19 Several places in the United States:; A borough of Bradford County, Pennsylvania.
- 20 Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of McMinn County, Tennessee.
- 21 Several places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Henderson County, Texas.
- 22 Several places in the United States:; A town in Windham County, Vermont.
- 23 Several places in the United States:; A town in Mercer County, West Virginia.
- 24 Several places in the United States:; A village in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
- 25 A township in Ontario, Canada.
Example
More examples"We stopped over in Athens on our way to Paris."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English Athens, from Old French Athenes, Atenes, from Latin Athēnae pl (acc. Athēnās), from Ancient Greek Ἀθῆναι pl (Athênai), the plural form of Ἀθήνη (Athḗnē, “Athena”) (q.v.), the goddess. More at Athena. Doublet of Athina.
Etymology 2
Americanized form of Greek Αθηναίος (Athinaíos).
Related phrases
More for "athens"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.