grammatikós

Grammatikós (Greek: γραμματικός, translit. grammatikós) is a Greek term that denotes a grammarian or scholar of grammar. The word combines γράμμα (grámma) “letter” with the agent-noun suffix -ικός and is related to γραμματική (grammatikí) “grammar.”

In Classical Greek, grammatikoi were teachers of grammar and literary culture, responsible for teaching language, textual analysis, and lexicography as part of the broader study of letters. In the Hellenistic and later Roman periods, the title was used in Greek and Latin contexts to designate professional teachers of grammar (Latin grammaticus), often employed as tutors or schoolmasters.

In medieval and early modern Europe, grammatici or grammarians formed part of the liberal arts tradition; Latin grammarians produced treatises on grammar and syntax that shaped educational practice for centuries. In modern Greek, grammatikós remains a common term for a language scholar or linguist, and grammatikí denotes grammar itself.

Overall, grammatikós describes a role centered on the analysis, teaching, and codification of language and its rules, spanning ancient to contemporary usage in Greek and related linguistic traditions.