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The Latin and English form of a Greek preposition, used as a prefix to signify down, downward, under, against, contrary or opposed to, wholly, completely; as in cataclysm, catarrh. It sometimes drops the final vowel, as in catoptric; and is sometimes changed to cath, as in cathartic, catholic.

A vault under altar of a Greek church.

An engine somewhat resembling a massive crossbow, used by the ancient Greeks and Romans for throwing stones, arrows, spears, etc.

undecomposable conception; a predicament. The categories or predicaments -- the former a Greek word, the latter its literal translation in the Latin language -- were intended by Aristotle and his followers as an enumeration of all things capable of being named; an enumeration by the summa genera i.e., the most extensi…

ront an upright bar or pillar, designed to be emblematical of Christ's sufferings. In the Greek Church the chasuble is a large round mantle. [Written also chasible, and chesible.]

An under garment among the ancient Greeks, nearly representing the modern shirt.

A loose and flowing outer garment, worn by the ancient Greeks; a kind of cloak.

ining to, gods or spirits of the underworld; esp., relating to the underworld gods of the Greeks, whose worship is widely considered as more primitive in form than that of the Olympian gods. The characteristics of chthonian worship are propitiatory and magical rites and generalized or euphemistic names of the deities,…

used as a pigment; vermilion. Cinnabar Græcorum (. Etym: [L. Graecorum, gen. pl., of the Greeks.] (Med.) Same as Dragon's blood. -- Green cinnabar, a green pigment consisting of the oxides of cobalt and zinc subjected to the action of fire. -- Hepatic cinnabar (Min.), an impure cinnabar of a liver-brown color and su…

To write in occult characters. His notes he ciphered with Greek characters. Hayward.

A character, or accent, denoting in Greek a rise and of the voice on the same long syllable, marked thus [~ or Accent, n., 2.

A work of acknowledged excellence and authrity, or its author; -- originally used of Greek and Latin works or authors, but now applied to authors and works of a like character in any language. In is once raised him to the rank of a legitimate English classic. Macaulay.

Of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks and Romans, esp. to Greek or Roman authors of the highest rank, or of the period when their best literature was produced; of or pertaining to places inhabited by the ancient Greeks and Romans, or rendered famous by their deeds. Though throned midst Latium's classic plains. Mrs. He…

A curve, of the fourth degree, first made use of by the Greek geometer, Nicomedes, who invented it for the purpose of trisecting an angle and duplicating the cube.

Originally, a part of the palestra, or gymnasium among the Greeks; either the place where sand was stored for use in sprinkling the wrestlers, or the wrestling ground itself. Hence, a part of the orchestra of the Greek theater.

A method of pronouncing Latin and Greek in which the vowels have their more familiar Continental values, as in German and Italian, the consonants being pronounced mostly as in English. The stricter form of this method of pronouncing Latin approaches the Roman, the modified form the English, pronunciation. The Continent…

Of or pertaining to the Corinthian order of architecture, invented by the Greeks, but more commonly used by the Romans. This is the lightest and most ornamental of the three orders used by the Greeks. Parker.

In Greek grammar, a sign ['] sometimes placed over a contracted syllable. W. W. Goodwin.

red by mental and moral training; civilization; refinement in manners and taste. What the Greeks expressed by their humanitas, we less happily try to express by the more artificial word culture. J. C. Shairp. The list of all the items of the general life of a people represents that whole which we call its culture. Tylo…

but having reference to certain judicial acts which took place at stated epochs under the Greek emperors. -- Cycle of the moon, or Metonic cycle, a period of 19 years, after the lapse of which the new and full moon returns to the same day of the year; -- so called from Meton, who first proposed it. -- Cycle of the su…