Sparta

Part of speech: noun, proper noun

Definitions

1. A prominent ancient city-state in Greece known for its military prowess and austere lifestyle
2. A significant center of warrior culture in ancient Greece, revered for its discipline and strength in warfare
3. An influential city in antiquity renowned for its unique social system and emphasis on military training

Etymology: The name of the ancient Greek city-state reached English through Latin, which borrowed it from the Greek of the Dorian region, where the city's name was "Spártā". The Attic-dialect form of the same name was "Spártē", and the Latin "Sparta" came from the Doric version. The Dorian spelling preserves the older, more regional pronunciation, so the Latin and English forms both descend from a dialect that was spoken by the city's own inhabitants rather than by the Athenian writers who shaped most of what survives from classical Greece. Because the English form is a direct borrowing from Latin, it has kept the Doric-style vowel and the "-a" ending even though most other Greek place names in English follow the Attic pattern. That is why readers meet "Sparta" in English rather than the "Sparte" one might expect from Athenian usage.