Learn Greek › B1 › κλέφτης
κλέφτης
thief /ˈkleftis/
nounB1#1681 most common
Also: robber, klepht (Greek irregular fighter under Ottoman rule)
Example sentences
Ο κλέφτης έφυγε γρήγορα.
The thief left quickly.
Η αστυνομία έπιασε τον κλέφτη.
The police caught the thief.
Ένας κλέφτης μπήκε στο σπίτι μας χθες βράδυ.
A thief broke into our house last night.
Οι κλέφτες πολέμησαν εναντίον των Οθωμανών στα βουνά.
The klephts fought against the Ottomans in the mountains.
Στην παράδοση της Ρούμελης, ο κλέφτης έγινε σύμβολο αντίστασης και λευτεριάς.
In the tradition of Roumeli, the klepht became a symbol of resistance and freedom.
Η δημοτική ποίηση εξιδανίκευσε τον κλέφτη ως λαϊκό ήρωα, παρότι η ιστορική εικόνα ήταν πιο περίπλοκη.
Folk poetry idealized the klepht as a popular hero, although the historical picture was more complex.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ο κλέφτης | οι κλέφτες |
| Genitive | του κλέφτη | των κλεφτών |
| Accusative | τον κλέφτη | τους κλέφτες |
| Vocative | κλέφτη | κλέφτες |
Word family
κλέβωto steal
κλοπήtheft (formal term)
κλεψιάtheft (colloquial)
κλεφτάstealthily, on the sly
κλεπτομανίαkleptomania
Etymology
Κλέφτης comes from the verb κλέβω, meaning to steal, which descends from ancient Greek κλέπτω. The agentive suffix -της turns the verb into a noun meaning one who steals. In the 18th and 19th centuries the plural κλέφτες also named armed highlanders who resisted Ottoman rule, a sense still alive in Greek historical memory.
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