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Note: This article deals with the history of the name Katherine. To find people usually known only by the name Katherine, see Katherine (disambiguation). To find people with the given name Katherine who are also known by another name, see All pages beginning with "Katherine", All pages beginning with "Katharine", and All pages beginning with "Catherine".
| Katherine | |
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| Catherine of Alexandria, by Carlo Crivelli. The name Catherine became famous in Christian communities because of this early saint | |
| Gender | Female |
| Meaning | each of the two, far off, pure, torture |
| Origin | Greek |
| Nicknames | Kate, Kath, Cath, Cate, Cat, Kathy, Kathie, Kathi, Katey, Katy, Kay, Kat, Katya, Katyusha, Katie, Kati, Kaki, Kit, Kitty, Kaity, and Cathy |
| Related names | Katheryn, Kathryn, Katharyn, Katherin, Catharine, Cathryn, Katheryne,Catherine, Katharine, Katharina, Kare, Karina |
| Wikipedia articles | All pages beginning with "Katherine " |
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Look up Katherine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Katherine is a feminine name, which is popular in historically Christian countries, owing to its having been the name of one of the first Christian saints, Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
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Origin and meaning
The name is derived from the Greek name Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterínē), of debated origin and meaning. Theories include:
- from the Greek (catharsis) see Aristotle's Poetics, meaning to purge or to cleanse - pure/purity of emotion[1]
- from ἑκάτερος (hekáteros), meaning each of the two, singly[2]
- from the goddess Hecate.
- from the Greek word αἰκία (aikía) injurious treatment [3]
The Romans, through folk etymology, associated the name with the Greek καθαρός (katharós) pure which led to the variant spelling Katharine/Katharina.
Katherine is first recorded in England in 1196 having been brought back from the Crusades.[4] The spelling Katharine is more popular in the United States than in Britain, and was also more popular in the past[citation needed]. The form Catherine, corresponding with the French version, is also common in English. Less common variants in English include Katheryn, Kathryn, Katharyn, Katherin, Catharine, and Cathryn. The form Karen, of Danish origin, is now often considered an English name in its own right. Diminutives include Katie, Katy, Kate, Kathy, Kath, Kay, Kat, Katya, Katyusha, Kitty, Kit, and others.
Variants
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See also
- The list of all Wikipedia pages that begin with "Catherine"
- The list of all Wikipedia pages that begin with "Katharine"
- The list of all Wikipedia pages that begin with "Katherine"
- Catherina (and similar spellings)
References
- ^ http://www.behindthename.com/name/katherine
- ^ View Name: Katherine
- ^ Liddell, H. G.; Scott, Robert. Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Oxford U. P..
- ^ Withycombe (1976)
- Withycombe, E. G. (1976) The Concise Dictionary of English Christian Names; 3rd ed. London: Omega Books. ISBN 1-855007-059-8
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