spartiate · noun — A Spartan, especially a full citizen. It carries an Arena rating of 1445, earned across 20 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, spartiate ranks #839 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words, #6,257 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #7,556 of 17,181 for Most Ingenious Words, #7,843 of 17,195 for Most Exacting Words.
Why “spartiate” is a great word
A full citizen of the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, belonging to the dominant military class. From Middle English Sparciate, from Latin Spartiātēs, from Ancient Greek Σπαρτιᾱ́της (Spartiā́tēs), from Σπάρτη (Spártē, "Sparta") + -ᾱ́της (-ā́tēs, suffix denoting membership or origin). First attested in English in the 14th century. Unlike a "helot," a bound serf, or a "perioikoi," a free but politically disenfranchised dweller, the Spartiate was the apex of a rigid hierarchy, his identity forged in the *agōgē*. He was the crimson cloak on the drill field, the unwavering line of the phalanx, and the austere portion of black broth in the common mess—a man whose absolute freedom was purchased by the total subjugation of others.
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Etymology
From Middle English Sparciate, from Latin Spartiātēs, from Ancient Greek Σπᾰρτῐᾱ́της (Spărtĭā́tēs), from Σπᾰ́ρτη (Spắrtē) + -ᾱ́της (-ā́tēs).
noun
- A Spartan, especially a full citizen.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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