Pelasgia
/pəˈlæz.dʒi.ə/noun
An ancient Greek name associated chiefly with Thessaly, the legendary homeland of the Pelasgians.
Did you know?The name Pelasgia is connected with the elusive Pelasgians, whom ancient Greek writers portrayed as inhabitants of Greece before the Hellenes, though modern scholars cannot identify them as a single confirmed ethnic group.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Greek antiquity
Unknown
*Pelasg-
“An uncertain pre-Greek name or ethnonym; its original meaning is unknown.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Πελασγία (Pelasgía)
“A land associated with the Pelasgians, especially Thessaly in ancient tradition.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Πελασγοί (Pelasgoí)
“The Pelasgians, a population described by Greek authors as inhabiting parts of Greece before or alongside the Greeks.”
Roman antiquity
Latin
Pelasgia
“A Latinized geographical name derived from Greek tradition.”
Modern English
English
Pelasgia
“A historical or classical name for Thessaly or the legendary Pelasgian homeland.”
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