therikós

Therikós, written in Greek as θηρικός and transliterated as thērikós, is an Ancient Greek adjective meaning “of beasts,” “beastlike,” or “ferocious.” It is derived from the noun θήρ (thḗr), meaning “beast,” with the suffix -ικός (-ikos). The form appears in classical Greek literature to describe wild animals, savage actions, or persons characterized by brutality, and it is often used in a figurative sense to convey harshness or brutality in character or conduct.

In terms of meaning, therikós centers on animalistic attributes such as ferocity and wildness, and it can be used metaphorically to portray human behavior as brutal or barbaric. It belongs to a family of terms built from θήρ and related roots that convey strength, danger, or predatory traits. The sense of the word can overlap with other Greek descriptors of ferocity, and it figures in stylistic and rhetorical contexts where emphasis on raw power or threat is desired.

In later stages of the Greek language, related forms such as θηριώδης (thēriódēs) meaning “beastlike” or “ferocious” appear, reflecting a broader semantic field around beastly traits. In Modern Greek, the root θηρ- survives in vocabulary connected to beasts and ferocity, though the exact classical form θηρικός is less common in everyday speech and tends to appear in literary or formal registers.

See also:

- θηρίον (beast)

- θηριώδης (beastlike, ferocious)

- ferocity

- beastliness