Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Philemon” come from?

Philemon derives from Ancient Greek Φιλήμων, from the adjective φιλήμων meaning fond of or loving, built from φιλέω to love and φίλος dear or beloved, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰil-.

Ancestry of “Philemon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekφιλήμωνkindly, affectionate
2Ancient GreekφιλέωI love, like, regard highly; I treat kindly,...
3Ancient Greekἀτέλεια—
4Ancient Greekἀ-The alpha privativum, used to make words that...
5Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
6Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
7Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →