Pelasgian
/pəˈlæz.dʒi.ən/noun
Relating to the Pelasgians, a name used by ancient Greek writers for peoples believed to have inhabited Greece before or alongside the Greeks.
Did you know?Greek authors treated the Pelasgians as an ancient pre-Greek population, but scholars still debate whether the name referred to one people, several groups, or a shifting mythic tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Classical Antiquity
Unknown/Pre-Greek
*Pelasg-
“An ancient ethnonym of uncertain origin; its original meaning is unknown.”
8th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Πελασγοί (Pelasgoi)
“The Pelasgians, mentioned by Homer as an ancient people associated with regions including Thessaly and Troy.”
5th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Πελασγικός (Pelasgikos)
“Of or relating to the Pelasgians; used by Greek historians such as Herodotus.”
16th–17th Century
Latin/English
Pelasgius; Pelasgian
“A learned classical term revived in European scholarship for the legendary or historical pre-Greek inhabitants of Greece.”
Modern English
English
Pelasgian
“Relating to the Pelasgians or to theories about the pre-Greek peoples of the Aegean world.”