κεφτές
keftés/ceˈftes/masculine
The Greek word for "meatball" is κεφτές (keftés).
κεφτές refers to a ball of minced or ground meat. While κεφτές is the standard term, you may encounter other terms for specific types of meat preparations, such as Μπίφτεκα, which is primarily used to refer to a beef patty or hamburger.
Meaning: ball of minced or ground meat (noun)
Which one should you use?
The term κεφτές is the standard masculine noun. You might also encounter the diminutive forms Κεφτεδάκι and Μπιφτεκάκι, which are used to refer to smaller meatballs or meatball-like snacks.
How do you pronounce it?
/ceˈftes/
Did you know?
- The word κεφτές is a loanword from Ottoman Turkish 'köfte', which originally came from Persian.
- While κεφτές is the general term, the word Μπίφτεκα is a phonetic adaptation of the English word 'beef steak'.
- In Greek culture, κεφτεδάκια are often served as 'meze', small plates shared among a group rather than as a single main course.
Examples in context
- Χθες είχαμε μεζέδες, θα τους μαγειρέψω και μικρά κεφτεδάκια!Yesterday we had mezedes, I will cook some small meatballs as well!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meatball” translations and entries κεφτές, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries κεφτές, CC BY-SA 4.0.
