# μεράκι



## infozas

Hello to everybody, 
I have found this word in a booklet:

Πιστεύω ότι η καλή κουζίνα είναι μια πολύ σοβαρά υπόθεση . Στην πατρίδα μου λέμε ότι το να ξέρεις να τρως θέλει **μεράκι**. 

How could μεράκι be translated in English?

Thanks in advance!
Alberto


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## shawnee

From a Turkish loan word _merak_ - to be interested, to wonder. The Greek _ meraki_ has acquired two senses. One to do something 'from the heart'. The other is to pine for something a little out of reach.  In your example we would speak of 'a labour of love'. An interesting word I would also be interested in follow up discussion.


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## Nightelf

I would say..

Μεράκι =  to make/create something with great pleasure and love.Even if it is considered hard, you are happy and glad to do it.


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## elineo

It's a real puzzle for me too. The translator who can give an english, spanish, italian french etc. word for the translation of "Μεράκι" (the real greek - no turkish sense of the word), must win the first prize of professional interpretation!


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## provataki

"fare qualcosa con passione" potrebbe essere une delle traduzioni le più vicine...


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## an-alfabeto

elineo said:


> It's a real puzzle for me too. The translator who can give an english, spanish, italian french etc. word for the translation of "Μεράκι" (the real greek - no turkish sense of the word), must win the first prize of professional interpretation!


 
Hey, Elineo, if there’s going to be an award, we should set the rules of participation from the beginning. I suggest we also include a synonym for the adjectives _μερακλής, μερακλού, μερακλίδικο_.


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## Eltheza

Hi!

For μερκλής and μερακλού, I could suggest 'amateur', though it's not quite right in its current English usage, in other words, as meaning 'not professional'. However, as its root is Latin 'amo' = I love, it does convey the meaning of μερακλής in this way!

I agree with elineo - this one's e real puzzle)!


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## ireney

For the adjective at least, a really good translation, even if not perfect in all cases, is "afficionado" if you ask me (which, I realize, you didn't  ).

In general I'd say that it's one of the words ("μεράκι" I mean) that cannot be translated with one word alone. Something like "love, care and knowhow" perhaps, since "μεράκι"'s main meaning can be defined as knowing a lot about something, loving that something and caring, being involved, spending time with that something.
The other meaning, that of affection as in "Ο Γιώργος είναι το κρυφό μου μεράκι" plays off the original meaning and can be translated as "passion" I think or, in cases such as the example, as "unrequited love" perhaps.


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## SvetLana7

Here is the article about this word. Greeker Than The Greeks: Greek Word of the day: Meraki: Doing it with love, passion and a lot of soul.


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## Filoxeni

In Italian "con gusto". Same word works in English, too: gusto | Definition of gusto in English by Oxford Dictionaries


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## Helleno File

I was reminded of this thread watching a food programme on British TV 10 days ago. It featured a high end Greek restaurant in London called "Meraki". I also visited a restaurant in Nafplio in May called "Μερακλής". Which takes us back to Infozas' original post. Meraki obviously has a strong connection with food, like Greek life in general. 

Tony


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## eno2

Devotion?


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## Θεοχαρίδης

'Μeráki' is the capacity or desire to do something, or enjoy something with all your heart and soul.


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## eno2

I still think doing something with 'devotion' comes very near as an English synonym for doing something with 'Μeráki'
<Devotion: 
the fact or state of being ardently dedicated >Merriam-Webster

The state of being entirely devoted to something normally implies highly enjoying it. 

The mere 'capacity to do something'? To me that's entirely different....


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## velisarius

It has to do with enthusiasm and creativity. If you do something with _meraki,_ you put something of yourself in it.


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## eno2

That's not otherwise when you do something with devotion. Devotion is even a bit at the exaggerated side.


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## ireney

No, devotion, the way you describe it, would be  προσήλωση or maybe αφοσίωση.


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## eno2

I think I cited a definition, it's not only my interpretation. But anyhow, this is about a lacking English word for meraki.
Perhaps there's no real fitting one.


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