The Greek Life Glossary

If you’re new to Greek life or if you're currently in a room full of sorority girls and frat guys and you're wondering what on earth they're talking about - this short and sweet glossary is for you. The terminology used in Greek life can be confusing, so let's break down the most well-known terms alphabetically.

Here we go -

Bid - An invitation to join a sorority or fraternity

Bid day - A day in which a sorority celebrates the end of recruitment with a new member class

Big - An older “brother” or “sister” that acts as a new member’s mentor

Brother - An active or alumni member of a fraternity

Chapter - An established membership unit of a sorority or fraternity

Executive Board - This is a group of elected members of the chapter who enforce the rules and standards

Initiation - A ceremony in which members of Greek life chapters officially join a sorority or fraternity

Legacy - Typically an immediate family member of an initiated member

Little - A little “brother” or “sister” who is being mentored by an older member of the Greek life chapter

New member/pledge - A person who has accepted a bid but hasn’t been initiated into their Greek life chapter yet

MC/PC - Short for member class, or pledge class. The group of new members that were recruited at the same time

Panhellenic Council - The governing body for all sororities on a college campus

Philanthropy - A community service project or event that is hosted by a Greek life organization

PNM - Short for “potential new member,” or someone interested in joining a Greek life chapter

Recruitment/rush - The process in which chapters choose new members for their organization by inviting them to events

Sister - An active or alumni member of a sorority

There you have it - this glossary has the most commonly used terms in Greek life. Feel free to throw around any of these terms if you can't seem to organically bring up that you know the stuff they're into. Thank us later.