Hellenistic
/ˌhɛləˈnɪstɪk/noun
Relating to Greek history, culture, or art from the time after Alexander the Great, especially the spread of Greek influence across the eastern Mediterranean and Near East.
Did you know?The term comes from Greek Hellenistikos, a label for speaking or imitating Greek, and later became the name for an entire age when Greek culture radiated like a powerful cultural force across conquered lands.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Hellēn
“A Greek person; later the ancestral name of the Greeks”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Hellēnistikos
“Greek-like; using Greek language or customs”
Late Latin
Latin
Hellenisticus
“Pertaining to Greek language or culture”
18th–19th Century
English
Hellenistic
“Relating to the Greek-speaking world after Alexander the Great”