oikonomikós

Oikonomikós (Greek: οἰκονομικός) is a Greek adjective meaning “economic” or relating to the management of a household or estate. In both historical and contemporary contexts, it denotes matters connected to the economy, finances, and resource administration. The term is used to describe policy, sectors, professions, and phenomena within economic life, and it also appears in linguistic discussions of Greek terminology.

Etymology: The term is derived from oikos “house” and nomos “law” or “custom,” via oikonomia, the concept of household management and, by extension, the economy. The adjective oikonomikós is formed from these roots and parallels the English “economic.”

Historical usage: In ancient Greek, oikonomikós often described the art of household or estate management—the science of allocating resources within a household or polis. The related noun oikonomia came to denote “economy” and later the science of political economy in Hellenistic and Roman thought. The word contributed to Latin oeconomia and to the English word economy.

Modern usage: In modern Greek, οικονομικός is the standard word for “economic” or “financial.” It appears in everyday and formal language, for example οικονομική πολιτική (economic policy), οικονομικός τομέας (economic sector), and οικονομικός αναλυτής (economic analyst). In English-language contexts, oikonomikós is chiefly encountered in linguistic, historical, or philological discussions of Greek terminology; the direct translation is "economic." The corresponding noun is oikonomía (economy) and the profession is οικονομολόγος? No, the correct Greek for economist is οικονομολόγος (oikonomológos).

See also: oikonomia; economy; economics; economist; oikonomos.