"Εγώ είμαι χορτοφάγος"

Translation: I am vegetarian

[mugene]

Horto is like in horticulture and phagos is like in phagocytosis. Very surprising language.

[mephyle]

It’s no coincidence, though; the English words came to us from the Greek!

[errryday]

What does χορτο- mean in this word?

[troll1995]

Χόρτο means "grass".

[deactivated user]

So literally a hortophage, or plant-eater?

[mizinamo]

Precisely.

(Though the meaning of χόρτο in modern Greek is generally a bit narrower in practice, as troll said: singular χόρτο for grass, plural χόρτα for (green, leafy) vegetables.)

[red_rook]

So grass-eater literally )

[erayazad]

Does that mean vegan or vegetarian? It shows both as meaning but they are two totally different things!

[Odontoceto]

It is "Vegetarian", "Vegan" is literally βέγκαν.

[troll1995]

Vegan is "ακραιφνής, ολικός or αυστηρός χορτοφάγος"

[D_..]

Βίγκαν then ! :D

[troll1995]

Yes, I suppose, but from my personal experience, vegans gonna like it if you use one of the above (the last two, I find ακραιφνής very formal). ;)

[ReginaBetty]

That last one...literally 'austere grass-eater?'

[Dimitra956826]

Um.... Yes, sort of. XD

[bonbayel]

Is the writer of this section vegetarian?

[alexsaurus_332]

i would just say duolingo itself in general is vegetarian.

[NRPL123]

Maybe just the Greek lessons. In French and German, something is always eating a bird or a mouse or a chicken!

[__Chicken__]

Is χορτοφάγος a noun or adjective. If noun, which gender is it?

[Panosbcn]

you may use either gender depending on the subject you're referring to. Like if you're talking about a female vegetarian it would be "η χορτοφάγος" but a male one would be "ο χορτοφάγος"

[troll1995]

It is an adjective: ο χορτοφάγος, η χορτοφάγος, το χορτοφάγο.

[mizinamo]

It can be either.

As a noun, it's masculine (like most nouns in -ος).

[kirakrakra]

Χόρτοφάγος ο is a masculine noun only.

The adjective is χορτοφαγικός, -η, -ο.

Source Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώςςας του Γ. Μπαμπινιώτη

[nubs299504]

Would there be any difference if you would say this as a woman (Είμαι χορτοφάγα or something)?