Catherine

A female given name from Ancient Greek.

Frequency

B2
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈkæθ(ə)ɹɪn/
Etymology

From French Catherine, from Ancient Greek Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterínē), *Ἑκατερίνη (*Hekaterínē), of debated meaning, possibly from ἑκάτερος (hekáteros, “each of the two”), or from the name of the goddess Hecate. The apheresis of the first syllable as well as the spelling with ⟨th⟩ in Latin languages, German and English, is due to a folk etymology, dating from Roman times, which associated the name with the Ancient Greek καθαρός (katharós, “pure”). The name belonged to a 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was supposedly tortured on the wheel from where the term Catherine wheel originates.

Related words

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine II

Catherine the Great

Kathleen Katniss

Αικατερίνη

Katarzyna

Catalina

Katrien

Κατερίνα

Ockenfels

Victorino de la Plaza

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