Everyday LifeGreek → English
Theodore
/ˈθiːədɔːr/noun
A man's given name, common across the Orthodox world as Theodoros.
The Greek roots
θεός
theós
god
δῶρον
dôron
gift
Literally: “gift of god”
The story of the word
Theodore and Dorothy are the same two words in opposite order, so the names mean exactly the same thing. Early Christians liked it because it makes a safe statement about God without naming a saint, and it stayed common in Greek and Russian use: Fyodor is this name. Its most famous English-speaking bearer, Roosevelt, is reported to have disliked being called Teddy by anyone outside the family.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Same family
Dorothytheologyatheisttheocracy
In a sentence
Theodore on the birth certificate, Theo everywhere else.
Her grandfather was a Theodore and so is her son.