ENGLISH
REFERENCE

athens

n. uncountable
A2 Elementary US //ˈæθənz// athens
Etymology 1

From Middle English Athens, from Old French Athenes, Atenes, from Latin Athēnae pl (acc. Athēnās), from Ancient Greek Ἀθῆναι pl (Athênai), the plural form of Ἀθήνη (Athḗnē, “Athena”) (q.v.), the goddess. More at Athena. Doublet of Athina.

Etymology 2

Americanized form of Greek Αθηναίος (Athinaíos).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms1 entry

Last updated May 6, 2026