Learn Greek › C1 › γερουσία
γερουσία
council of elders /ʝeruˈsi.a/
nounC1#4055 most common
Also: senate, elder council, board of elders
Example sentences
Η γερουσία αποφασίζει.
The council of elders decides.
Τα μέλη της γερουσίας είναι ηλικιωμένοι άνδρες.
The members of the council of elders are elderly men.
Στην αρχαία Σπάρτη, η γερουσία είχε είκοσι οκτώ γέροντες.
In ancient Sparta, the gerousia had twenty-eight elders.
Η γερουσία συνεδρίαζε στην αγορά της πόλης.
The council of elders met in the city's agora.
Ο βασιλιάς έπρεπε να συμβουλεύεται τη γερουσία πριν πάρει αποφάσεις.
The king had to consult the council of elders before making decisions.
Η γερουσία, ως θεσμός πολιτικής εξουσίας, περιόριζε την απόλυτη εξουσία των βασιλέων στη Σπάρτη.
The gerousia, as an institution of political power, limited the absolute power of the kings in Sparta.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | γερουσία | γερουσίες |
| Genitive | γερουσίας | γερουσιών |
| Accusative | γερουσία | γερουσίες |
| Vocative | γερουσία | γερουσίες |
Word family
γέρωνold man, elder
γεροντικόςof old age, elderly
γηράσκωto grow old
γηρατειάold age
γεροντολογίαgerontology
Etymology
Γερουσία comes from γέρων, meaning old man or elder. The word was built on γέρουσα, the feminine form used of elders, with the abstract noun suffix -ία added to name the body they formed. It named the council of senior men who advised kings and shaped law in cities such as Sparta.
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