Pelasgian
adj, name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An inhabitant of pre-Hellenic Greece.
"It seems evident that the Hellenes much excelled the Pelasgians in the spirit of enterprise and in military accomplishments."
- 1 Of or pertaining to the Pelasgians, their culture, etc.
"The very solemn and ancient observance of her^([Demeter's]) worship in Attica, which was so eminently a Pelasgian state in the time of Homer, entirely accords with the indications of the Homeric text."
- 1 The language spoken by the Pelasgians.
"1869, Journal of the Ethnological Society of London, New Series, Volume 1, Ethnological Society of London, Trübner and Co. page 324, Pelasgian, therefore, is regarded by him as convertible with Illyrian, and that with Gueg, subject to modifications of Tosk and relations therewith."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples""Then, all unknowing of Pelasgian art / and crimes so huge, the story we demand.""
Etymology
From Ancient Greek Πελασγός (Pelasgós) + -ian, presumably based on a Pre-Greek ethnonym. Compare Egyptian pwrꜣsꜣtj, an ethnonym listed as one of the Sea Peoples attacking Egypt around 1190 BCE.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.