Graecae

Graecae is a Latin term formed as the feminine form of the adjective Graecus, meaning “Greek.” In Latin, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case, so Graecus (masculine), Graeca (feminine), and Graecum (neuter) appear in different forms depending on context. The form Graecae occurs in several ways: as the feminine nominative plural of the adjective, and as the feminine genitive singular or dative singular of the same adjective, depending on the sentence’s grammar.

In classical usage, Graecus and its feminine Graeca typically describe Greek people, language, or things associated with Greece. The masculine plural Graeci is the standard ethnonym for “the Greeks.” When Graecae is used as a substantive, it may refer to Greek women or, by extension in late Latin, to Greek people described in the feminine. However, as a standalone noun, Graecae is less common than the masculine Graeci and often appears with an implied feminine noun such as foemina Graecae (a Greek woman) or Graecae linguae (the Greek language) understood from context.

The term ultimately derives from the Latin adaptation of a Greek ethnonym and was widely used in Latin literature, inscriptions, and scholastic writing to denote things Greek. Its precise meaning depends on grammatical form and context, but it consistently reflects the gendered adjective agreement in Latin and the cultural designation of Greece within the Roman world.