Pelasgi
/pəˈlæz.dʒaɪ/noun
An ancient people whom Greek writers described as inhabitants of Greece and the Aegean before or alongside the Greeks.
Did you know?Herodotus treated the Pelasgi as a people with a distinct, non-Greek language, but no securely identified Pelasgian language survives, making the name a historical mystery rather than proof of a single known nation.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Πελασγοί (Pelasgoi)
“The Pelasgi; a legendary or historical people associated with regions of the Greek world.”
5th Century BCE
Greek
Πελασγοί (Pelasgoi)
“Herodotus’s term for an ancient population distinguished from Greek-speaking peoples.”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
Πελασγικόν (Pelasgikon)
“Pelasgian; relating to the Pelasgi or to places attributed to them.”
Latin Antiquity
Latin
Pelasgi
“The Latin form of the Greek ethnonym.”
16th–17th Century
English
Pelasgi
“A learned English plural referring to the ancient people described by Greek and Roman authors.”
Modern English
English
Pelasgi
“A historical ethnonym for the enigmatic pre-Greek inhabitants mentioned in ancient sources.”