Everyday LifeGreek → English
Helen
/ˈhɛlən/noun
A woman's given name, carried down from the Spartan queen of the Iliad.
The Greek roots
Ἑλένη
Helénē
Helen of Sparta
Literally: “possibly torch, possibly shining one”
Follow a root:Ἑλένη1 word
The story of the word
Nobody has settled where Ἑλένη comes from. One line ties it to ἑλένη, a wicker torch or basket, another to a root meaning light and reflection that would make her the shining one, and neither case is secure. The name spread through Christendom not for the queen but for Helena, mother of Constantine, credited with finding the True Cross. Its short forms — Ellen, Nell, Elena, Eleni — have been among the commonest women's names in Europe for sixteen centuries.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
Same family
HelenaEllenNell
In a sentence
Helen took her mother's name and shortened it to Nell.
There were two Helens on the register and one Eleni.