Where does “christen” come from?
Christen derives from Middle English cristenen, from Old English crīstnian, formed with the Old English suffix -nian, from Latin christianus, from Ancient Greek Χριστιανός, which combines Latin -ius and -um with Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ meaning "anointed one."
christen (English): To perform the religious act of the baptism, to...
Definitions
- To perform the religious act of the baptism, to...
Ancestry of “christen”, step by step
christen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English cristnien
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cristnien | Alternative form of cristenen |
| 2 | Old English | cristnian | to christen, baptise |
| 3 | Old English | cristen | Christian; a Christian |
| 4 | Latin | christianus | Alternative form of Chrīstiānus; Christian |
| 5 | Latin | Christus | Christ |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Χριστός | anointed; messiah; annointed, the annointed one,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | χρίω | to rub or smear (especially the body) with oil or unguents; to anoint |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |
via Middle English cristenen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cristenen | To baptize, christen; To make Christian; win over... |
| 2 | Old English | crīstnian | to Christianize |
| 3 | Old English | -nian | suffix applied to nouns and adjectives to form... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -inōn | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -inōną | Creates denominatives from nouns referring to... |