Perioeci [per-ee-ee-sahy] ExamplesWord Origin 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 houseRelated formsper·i·oe·cic, per·i·oe·cid, adjective Examples from the Web for perioeci Historical Examples of perioeci
They had much the same position as the perioeci in ancient Sparta.
The Latin & Irish Lives of Ciaran
Anonymous
Besides the Helots, the Spartans exercised an authority over the intermediate class called the Perioeci.
Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The whole number taken, whether true-born Spartans or Perioeci, amounted to more than one hundred.
Xenophon
The provinces under Spartan rule were divided into thirty thousand parts, a part for each Perioeci family.
Levi Seeley