Katharevousa
//ˌkɑθəˈɹɛvusɑ// name
name ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Proper Noun
- 1 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.
"‘You read the poetry of Cavafy, I have taught you to speak Katharevousa and Italian.’"
- 2 Alternative form of Katharevousa alt-of, alternative
Example
More examples"‘You read the poetry of Cavafy, I have taught you to speak Katharevousa and Italian.’"
Etymology
From Greek καθαρεύουσα (katharévousa), feminine of καθαρεύων (katharévon), present participle of Ancient Greek καθαρεύω (kathareúō, “to be clean, pure”).
Related phrases
More for "katharevousa"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.