Learn Greek › A2 › λαός
λαός
people /laˈos/
nounA2#712 most common
Also: the populace, nation, folk
Example sentences
Ο λαός θέλει ειρήνη.
The people want peace.
Ο ελληνικός λαός αγαπά τη μουσική και τον χορό.
The Greek people love music and dance.
Σε αυτές τις εκλογές, ο λαός ψήφισε για μια μεγάλη αλλαγή.
In these elections, the people voted for a big change.
Η κυβέρνηση οφείλει να ακούει πάντα τη φωνή του λαού.
The government must always listen to the voice of the people.
Σε περιόδους κρίσης, ο λαός αποκαλύπτει την αληθινή του δύναμη και την αλληλεγγύη του.
In times of crisis, the people reveal their true strength and their solidarity.
Οι λαοί της Μεσογείου, παρά τις διαφορές τους, μοιράζονται μια βαθιά κοινή πολιτισμική κληρονομιά.
The peoples of the Mediterranean, despite their differences, share a deep common cultural heritage.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | λαός | λαοί |
| Genitive | λαού | λαών |
| Accusative | λαό | λαούς |
| Vocative | λαέ | λαοί |
Word family
λαϊκόςpopular, folk, of the people, lay
λαοθάλασσαa sea of people, a vast crowd
λαοφιλήςbeloved by the people, popular
λαουτζίκοςthe common folk, the little people (often derogatory)
Etymology
From Ancient Greek λαός (laós) 'people, host of men, folk', attested already in Mycenaean Greek as ra-wo and originally bearing a digamma (λαϝός). The deeper origin is uncertain; Beekes and others treat it as Pre-Greek, with no secure Indo-European etymology. Through the derived adjective λαϊκός it passed into Latin as laicus and ultimately gave English 'lay', 'laity', and (via λαός + ἔργον) 'liturgy'.
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