The similar word Hellenism, which is often used as a synonym, is used in 2 Maccabees (c. 124 BC) and the Book of Acts (c. AD 80-90) to refer to clearly much more than language, though it is disputed what that may have entailed.

The name of Greece differs in Greek compared with the names used for the country in other languages and cultures, just like the names of the Greeks.