Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Theotokos” come from?

Theotokos derives from Ancient Greek Θεός, from Ancient Greek θεός meaning god, from Proto-Indo-European dʰh₁s-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- meaning to place or put.

Ancestry of “Theotokos”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Koine GreekΘεοτόκος—
2Ancient Greekτόκοςchildbirth, parturition; offspring; interest
3Ancient GreekτίκτωI beget, give birth to; I bear, produce, generate
4Proto-Hellenictíktō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanteḱ-to sire, beget
Every word from Proto-Indo-European teḱ- →