Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Dorothy” come from?

Dorothy derives from Latin Dorothea, from Ancient Greek Δωροθέα, a feminine name formed from δῶρον gift and θέα goddess, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European deh₃-.

Ancestry of “Dorothy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient GreekΔωροθέα—
2Ancient Greekδῶρονgift; hand's width
3Proto-Hellenicdṓrongift
4Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₃romgift
5Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₃-to give

Words derived from “Dorothy”

  • doll
  • Doll
  • dolly
  • dollhouse
  • dollish
  • dollmaker
  • dollface
  • dollmaking
  • dolldom
  • dollhood
  • dollishness
  • dollhouselike
  • fuckdoll
  • dollishly
  • dollkind
  • ドール
  • ドールハウス
  • Dorothy
  • dòl
  • doli
  • Kōleka
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₃- →