Dorian

Do·ri·an

noun \ˈdȯr-ē-ən\

Definition of DORIAN

: a member of an ancient Hellenic race that completed the overthrow of Mycenaean civilization and settled especially in the Peloponnisos and Crete

— Dorian adjective

Origin of DORIAN

Latin Dorius of Doris, from Greek dōrios, from Dōris, region of ancient Greece

First Known Use: 1662

Rhymes with DORIAN

saurian, Taurean

Dorian

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any member of a major division of the ancient Greeks. Coming from the north and northwest, they conquered the Peloponnese c. 1100–1000 BC, overran the remnants of the Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations, and ushered in a dark age that lasted almost three centuries, until the rise of the Greek city-states. They had their own dialect and were organized into three tribes. Patterns of settlement determined their alliances in later Greek conflicts. To Greek culture they gave the Doric order of architecture, the tragic choral lyric, and a militarized aristocratic government. They assimilated into Greek societies in some cases, but in Sparta and Crete they held power and resisted cultural advancement.