Areopagus
|A-re-o-pa-gus|
🇺🇸
/ˌærɪˈɑːpəɡəs/
🇬🇧
/ˌærɪˈɒpəɡəs/
Ares' hill → high court/authority
Etymology
'Areopagus' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the phrase 'Areios pagos', where 'Areios' meant 'of Ares' and 'pagos' meant 'rock' or 'hill'.
'Areios pagos' passed into Latin as 'Areopagus', then into Medieval and Modern Latin and Middle English without major change, becoming the modern English 'Areopagus'.
Initially, it referred specifically to the physical 'hill of Ares'; over time it also came to denote the council and court that met there and, by extension, any authoritative tribunal.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a rocky hill in Athens (literally 'Ares' hill'), the traditional meeting-place of a council and later a court.
The Areopagus overlooks the ancient Agora of Athens.
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Noun 2
the council or high court of ancient Athens that met on the Areopagus; a judicial or deliberative body.
Serious cases of homicide were sometimes tried before the Areopagus.
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Last updated: 2026/01/17 03:48