Everyday LifeGreek → English
Nicole
/nɪˈkoʊl/proper noun
A female given name, the French feminine form of Nicholas.
The Greek roots
νίκη
níkē
victory
λαός
laós
the people
Literally: “victory of the people”
The story of the word
Νικόλαος puts victory and the people together, a compound built long before any saint carried it. Nicholas of Myra took it across the Christian east and into every European language, dragging Santa Claus behind him. The French feminine Nicole reached English speakers mostly in the twentieth century. That second element, λαός, also underlies laity and liturgy, the latter from λειτουργία, a public duty performed at one's own expense.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → French → English
Same family
NicholasNikelaityliturgy
In a sentence
Nicole runs the department and answers email faster than anyone should.