γηραιός
giraiósmasculine
The English word "old" is translated into Greek as γηραιός (giraiós) when referring to a living being that has lived for relatively many years. Wiktionary also lists ηλικιωμένος (ilikioménos).
Meaning: of a living being: having lived for relatively many years (adj)
Ways to say it
| Greek | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| γηραιός | giraiós | masculine | |
| ηλικιωμένος | ilikioménos | /i.li.ci.oˈme.nos/ | masculine |
The term ηλικιωμένος is a polite way to refer to elderly individuals or describe someone as aged.
Which one should you use?
ηλικιωμένος is the preferred term when you want to be respectful or formal when referring to an old person, similar to the English 'elderly'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ηλικιωμένος is a polite and formal term preferred when you want to be respectful toward an older person.
How does it change in a sentence?
The polite form ηλικιωμένος changes its ending to ηλικιωμένη when referring to a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
giraiós
Did you know?
- The polite word ηλικιωμένος is actually a semantic loan from the French word 'âgé'.
- While γηραιός refers to biological old age, Greek has a separate word παλιός for things that are old, and the two are never used interchangeably.
- The root of ηλικιωμένος is ηλικία, which means 'age' but also 'generation' or 'peer group'.
Examples in context
- Ο ηλικιωμένος μένει μόνος του.The old man lives by himself.This sentence shows how to use ηλικιωμένος to describe an old man living alone.Tatoeba #7347904 by amoeba, translation #43387 by CK
- Ήταν πολύ ηλικιωμένος, υπερήλικας, πάνω από 90.He was very old, hyper-elderly, over 90.This sentence illustrates using ηλικιωμένος to describe someone of extreme age, over 90.
- «Πώς μπορεί να γεννηθεί άνθρωπος όταν είναι ηλικιωμένος;» ρώτησε ο Νικόδημος."How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked.This sentence demonstrates the use of ηλικιωμένος in a philosophical or questioning context.Tatoeba #13919990 by carlosalberto, translation #35985 by Zifre
Example conversation
Kostas and Kyriaki are discussing a neighbor.
- Κώστας KostasΕίναι ένας πολύ γηραιός άνθρωπος.Einai enas poly giraios anthropos.He is a very old man.
- Κυριακή KyriakiΤον γνωρίζεις εδώ και πολύ καιρό;Ton gnorizeis edo kai poly kairo?Have you known him for a long time?
- Κώστας KostasΝαι, ο γηραιός αυτός είναι ο φίλος μου.Nai, o giraios aftos einai o filos mou.Yes, this old man is my friend.
- Κυριακή KyriakiΦαίνεται πολύ σοφός.Fainetai poly sofos.He seems very wise.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “old” translations and entries ηλικιωμένος, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ηλικιωμένος, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
