Everyday LifeGreek → English
George
/dʒɔrdʒ/noun
A male given name, and the name of England's patron saint.
The Greek roots
γῆ
gê
earth, land
ἔργον
érgon
work
Literally: “earth worker, farmer”
The story of the word
Γεώργιος is simply the adjective for a farmer, which makes the patron saint of chivalry a man called Farmer. England barely used the name before the Crusades brought back the dragon-slaying legend, and it became common only under the Hanoverians, when four kings in a row wore it. Virgil's poem about ploughing and bees carries the same root in its title.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
Same family
georgicgeologyenergyergonomics
In a sentence
Ask George, he has been on that platform since the line reopened.