Greekland

English

Etymology

From Middle English Greclond, Griclond, Griccland, from Old English Grēcland (“Greece”), equivalent to Greek +‎ -land. Compare West Frisian Grikelân (“Greece”), Dutch Griekenland (“Greece”), German Griechenland (“Greece”), Danish Grækenland (“Greece”), Norwegian Bokmål Grekenland (“Greece”) (archaic, replaced by “Hellas”), Norwegian Nynorsk Grekland (“Greece”) (archaic, replaced by “Hellas”), Swedish Grekland (“Greece”), Icelandic Grikkland (“Greece”).

Proper noun

Greekland

1. (rare, now nonstandard) The land of the Greeks; Greece
   • 1842, The Prose Or Younger Edda:

     Once on a time fared he in a ship to Greekland, for that there was a king's daughter on whom he had set his mind, […]

   • 1884, George Stephens, The Old-northern Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England:

     Scores of the old rune-stones speak of the Warings and Captains and Shipmen (and perhaps, now and then, Merchants or Pilgrims going to or from the Holy Land) who served "in Greece", "in Greekland", who "gained wealth in Greece", who "died in Greekland", who were mere "Greek farers", visited "Greek Havens" &c. in the 10th, 11th, 12th centuries.

   • 1933, Henry Goddard Leach, The American-Scandinavian Review, volume 21, page 216:

     They speak about men who perished on Viking expeditions to faraway countries — westward to England, most especially eastward to Gardarike (the present Russia), to Greekland (the lands comprising the Byzantine Empire), to Sarkland (the Mohammedan countries about the Black Sea), to Jorsalaland (Jerusalem), to Langbardaland (the present Italy).

   • 1968, Nelo Drizari, Scanderbeg:

     Nowhere do we find that 'Epirus' means Greekland. If 'Epirus' could thus most conveniently be stretched to mean Greekland, then the world would forever be faced with a chaotic situation.

   • 2000, Lars Walker, The Year of the Warrior:

     She was a prize. She was Jaederborn, but her mother had been captured in Greekland.

   • 2002, John Matthews, At the Table of the Grail:

     Atheling to the heaven-king.
     Shepherd of Greekland
     Harrower of Annwn.

   • 2005, Atanas Orachev, Bulgaria in the European Cartographic Concepts Until XIX Century:

     The huge river Danube runs between Saxland and Greekland.

   • 2013, Jonathan Clements, A Brief History of the Vikings:

     Not all of the treasures of Birka and Gotland are below the ground. Rune stones dot the landscape, carved with memorials of journeys to far places –Semgall and Courland (Latvia), Wendland (Poland), Virland (Estonia), Gardariki (Russia), Greekland (more particularly, the Byzantine Empire centred on Constantinople), and Serkland, the land of the Saracens.