Hellas
/ˈhɛl.əs/noun
The Greek name for Greece, especially in historical or poetic contexts.
Did you know?Hellas comes from the self-name of the Greeks, and its deeper origin is uncertain, but it is not related to “hell” despite the eerie coincidence in English spelling.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἑλλάς (Hellás)
“Greece; the land of the Greeks”
Classical Greek
Greek
Ἕλληνες (Hellēnes)
“The Greeks”
Proto-Greek
PGk
*wel- / *sel-?
“Uncertain pre-Greek origin; the ultimate source is debated”
Latin
Latin
Hellas
“Greek land; Greece”
Modern English
English
Hellas
“A literary or formal name for Greece”