# greek translation for girl or young lady?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-translation-for-girl-or-young-lady/123887>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 14, 2002, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-translation-for-girl-or-young-lady/123887 "2002-08-14T19:39:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-translation-for-girl-or-young-lady/123887/1 "2002-08-14T19:39:21Z")

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Could someone give me the Greek translation for “girl” or “young lady”? how is it pronounced?

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-translation-for-girl-or-young-lady/123887/2 "2002-08-14T20:39:56Z")

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Ancient Greek or modern Greek?

In the ancient Greek…

**parthenos** = “virgin,” as in,

> [@](#):
>
> “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a **virgin**?”  
> Luke 1:34 NIV

**korasion** = “girl,” as in,

> [@](#):
>
> “The **girl** is not dead, but asleep.”  
> Matthew 9:24 NIV

Not sure of either pronunciation.

Looking through my Greek New Testament concordance, I find no word that means specifically “young woman.”

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-translation-for-girl-or-young-lady/123887/3 "2002-08-15T00:38:57Z")

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**rastahomie** , that’s Koine. What about the Classical Greek word _**[kore](http://harpy.uccs.edu/greek/sculpt/peplos4.jpg)**_? It means ‘girl’, ‘maiden’, ‘young woman’. Actually, ‘maiden’ is the best word. Most languages have a word for a female who has attained sexual maturity but is unmarried. (German _Mädchen_, Arabic _fatâh_, Italian _fanciulla_, Hindustani _laRkî_, Classical Greek _korê_.) The word for that in English is “maiden,” but for some reason it has fallen out of use.

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**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-translation-for-girl-or-young-lady/123887/4 "2002-08-15T04:13:38Z")

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In modern Greek, it’s _koritsi_. Greek is phonetic, so that’s how it’s pronounced. A sweet thing to call a girl/woman is _koriti moo_ (“my girl”).