Everyday LifeGreek → English
Macarius
/məˈkɛːriəs/noun
A masculine given name borne by several early Christian ascetics, notably Macarius of Egypt.
The Greek roots
μακάριος
makários
blessed, happy
Literally: “blessed”
Follow a root:μακάριος1 word
The story of the word
μακάριος is the word that opens each of the Beatitudes in the Greek gospels, blessed are the poor in spirit. In Homer it belonged to the gods, who were μάκαρες, the blessed ones, distinguished from mortals by being beyond suffering. Desert monasticism turned the adjective into a monk's name, and the Greek feminine Makaria and the Cypriot archbishop Makarios both descend from it.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Same family
macarismMakariosbeatitude
In a sentence
The sayings of Macarius circulated among the desert fathers for centuries.