# 'Kaliokt' - is this word potentially offensive in Greek?



## quality1

Hi, I am hoping to do business in Greece, I just wanted to check if the word Kalioct or Kaliokt has any bad connotations in Greece, as this is my business name.  Just being cautious! Thanks!


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## shawnee

Though my vocabulary is not as extensive as that of the natives, I think you are on safe ground with Kaliokt. I can see it being a bit of a tongue twister though.


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## GreekNative

As a naitive speaker, I comnfirm and totally subscribe to what Shwanee says. No connotations whatsoever, but kind of a tongue twister. It's these last two consonants at the end that make it a bit difficult for Greeks to decipher and repeat.


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## quality1

Thanks shawnee and GreekNative, that is most helpful.  Maybe it's the Kali part that I thought was vaguely greek sounding !  Wanted to make sure it wasn't coincidentally meaning anything negative or rude.


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## Δημήτρης

No reason for me to repeat what shawnee and GreekNative said. 
Now, in regards to the phonology part, "kt" is alien, but not that much. There's a large consumer electronics chain in Greece by the name Media Mar*kt*.


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## shawnee

The 'kali' part is fortuitous, as it is one of the grammatical manifestations of 'kalo - good'.


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## quality1

That's great, thanks again!


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## artion

May I add that the fact that -kt- sounds unfamiliar to Greeks is a good reason that they remember and recognize it!


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## Cosmas1

I agree. There's nothing offensive about it and is quite catchy. Good luck with it.


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## quality1

That's great!  It's actually a stylised /phonetic form of the Gaelic 'cailiocht' which means 'quality'.  
Cail means fame, renown or reputation, and can also mean qualification.  
I don't know if it's derived from a similar root as 'kalo' but it's possible.


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## shawnee

Note we have an etymology forum, quality 1, where any connection between cail and kalo could be explored by people who know of such things. On a side note, I was just musing on the Greek word ochtos - bank of a ridge.


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## GreekNative

And just for the history, on Dimitris's remarks on the "kt" sound, since Greeks find it difficult to pronounce "kt" in Media Markt, you will still hear so many pronounce it "Media Mar*ket*", years after it opened ...


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## phoenix33

Hi quality1. I will agree with all the former replies. There is nothing offensive about your name. As for the difficulty in pronunciating the "Kt" part, don't worry about it, because in my opinion Greeks got used to seeing or pronunciating difficult names, at least more than they used to in the past.


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