Dictionary

Katharevousa en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /ˌkɑθəˈɹɛvəsɑ/ (US)
• (US) audio
• /ˌkaθəˈɹɛvuːsə/ (UK)
• /ˌkɑθəˈɹɛvusɑ/ (US)

Etymology

From Greek καθαρεύουσα (katharévousa), feminine of καθαρεύων (katharévon), present participle of Ancient Greek καθαρεύω (kathareúō, “to be clean, pure”).

Meanings

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.
   • A year later, after much deliberation and public discussion, an act of parliament established that demotic Greek was to replace the hybrid katharevousa as the official language of education – and therefore, in practice, in most walks of life (exceptions are the Church and law). 2019, Roderick Beaton, Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation, Penguin, published 2020, page 345:
   • ‘You read the poetry of Cavafy, I have taught you to speak Katharevousa and Italian.’ 1994, Louis de Bernières, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Minerva, published 1995, page 87:

Forms

Coordinates

purist Greek · Ancient Greek · Demotic Greek · Classical Greek · Koine

Holonyms

Modern Greek

Relateds

Category of Katharevousa words

Translations (32)

af Katharewoesa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · fr katharévousa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · pt catarévussa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · eo katarevuso (purist variant of Modern Greek) · fi katharévousa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · ko 카타레부사 (purist variant of Modern Greek) · pl katharewusa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · es kazarévusa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · es katharévousa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · de Katharevousa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · uk катаре́вуса (purist variant of Modern Greek) · el καθαρεύουσα (purist variant of Modern Greek) · hy կաթարևուսա (purist variant of Modern Greek) · hi काथारेवुसा (purist variant of Modern Greek) · sh katarèusa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · cmn 純正希臘語 /纯正希腊语 (purist variant of Modern Greek) · mnw ဇြုၚ်ဂရေတ် (purist variant of Modern Greek) · uk кафаре́вуса (purist variant of Modern Greek) · pt grego catarévussa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · hu katharévusza (purist variant of Modern Greek) · es cazarévusa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · ka კათარევუსა (purist variant of Modern Greek) · ja カサレヴサ (purist variant of Modern Greek) · pl katarewusa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · ru кафаре́вуса (purist variant of Modern Greek) · de Kathareuusa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · de Katharevusa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · is kaþarevúsa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · tr Katarevusa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · it katharevousa (purist variant of Modern Greek) · el Καθαρεύουσα (purist variant of Modern Greek) · sh катарѐуса (purist variant of Modern Greek)