Perioeci

[ per-ee-ee-sahy ]
/ ˌpɛr iˈi saɪ /

plural noun, singular Per·i·oe·cus [per-ee-ee-kuh s] /ˌpɛr iˈi kəs/.

the inhabitants of ancient Laconia, constituting a dependent people of Sparta, who governed themselves and had a monopoly on trade and manufacture. Compare Helot(def 1), Spartiate.

Origin of Perioeci

1585–95; < Medieval Latin perioecī < Greek períoikoi countryside dwellers, noun use of plural of períoikos neighboring, equivalent to peri- peri- + -oikos, adj. derivative of oîkos house

OTHER WORDS FROM Perioeci

per·i·oe·cic, per·i·oe·cid, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for perioeci

  • The whole number taken, whether true-born Spartans or Perioeci, amounted to more than one hundred.

    Hellenica |Xenophon

  • The provinces under Spartan rule were divided into thirty thousand parts, a part for each Perioeci family.

    History of Education |Levi Seeley

  • Besides the Helots, the Spartans exercised an authority over the intermediate class called the Perioeci.

    Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete |Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • They had much the same position as the perioeci in ancient Sparta.

    The Latin &amp; Irish Lives of Ciaran |Anonymous