Where does “Phaedra” come from?
Phaedra comes from Latin Phaedra, from Ancient Greek Φαίδρα, combining the root φαίνω (to shine or appear) with the feminine suffix -ᾱ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂-.
Phaedra (English): The wife of Theseus, who falls in love with but is spurned by her stepson Hippolytus, then commits suicide, but is the cause of his later death (details vary between versions)
Definitions
- The wife of Theseus, who falls in love with but is spurned by her stepson Hippolytus, then commits suicide, but is the cause of his later death (details vary between versions)
Ancestry of “Phaedra”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Phaedra | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Φαίδρα | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Φαῖδρος | Phaedrus |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | φαιδρός | bright, beaming; beaming with joy, bright,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | φαίνω | I cause to appear, bring to light; I show,... |
| 6 | English | -type | impressed form; stamp; print; typical form; Used... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | τύπος | A blow, pressing; The results of a blow: mark,... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | τύπτω | to beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewp- | to push, to stick |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |