Stephen
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈstiːvən/
ipa: /ˈstɛfən/
rhymes: -iːvən
rhymes: -ɛfən
homophone: Steven
Forms: form: Steven
Etymology: From Latin Stephanus, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos), from στέφανος (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”), from στέφω (stéphō, “to put round, to surround”).
From *stegʷʰ- (“to enlace”) + -νος (-nos, suffix forming an adjective or noun) from Proto-Indo-European *-nós (suffix forming a verbal adjective from a verb stem).
Senses: examples: text: And Steuen full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 6:8:
topics: biblical
lifestyle
religion
glosses: The first Christian martyr.
examples: text: I, for my part, ask any candid reader if it was not bad enough to be called Broadfoot, without having it aggravated into Stephen Broadfoot? I feel confident I will here get a tear of sympathy from all unhappy Andrews and Peters, and Aarons and Samuels, with a smile of disdainful compassion from thrice-happy Franks and Charleys and Bills.
ref: 1852, William Harrison Ainsworth, “Tale of a Carpet-Bag”, in Ainsworth's Magazine, volume 21, page 17:
text: It is doubtless true that American English lacks a tradition for the pronunciation of Anthony, a name which was not often bestowed upon American males until the comparatively recent craze for supposedly swank "British" Christian names, like Stephen, Peter, Michael, etc., in this country.
ref: 1952, Thomas Pyles, Words and Ways of American English, Random House, page 245:
text: I thought that ideally it should be a name which could work whether he was serious and reserved or butch, a name like Stephen which could be Steve or David which could be Dave.
ref: 2000, Helen DeWitt, The Last Samurai, Miramax Books, published 2002, →ISBN, page 142:
text: As part of the listing, the company is seeking to create a third class of shares that would give Thiel, Karp and fellow cofounder Stephen Cohen “49.999999%” of the total voting power.
ref: 2020 August 25, Sara Ashley O'Brien and Rachel Metz, “Palantir files paperwork to go public and reveals it has never turned a profit”, in CNN Business:
text: Stephen reigned from 1135-1154, that nasty period of our history dubbed 'The Anarchy', when forces loyal to Stephen contested the throne with those of Henry I's daughter Matilda, who by rights should have been queen. Stephen, her cousin, plonked his own posterior on the throne.
ref: 2023 December 27, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: the way to Weymouth”, in RAIL, number 999, page 52:
glosses: A male given name from Ancient Greek.
examples: text: Even in her fourteenth year Miss Stephen Norman gave promise of striking beauty; beauty of a rarely composite character.
ref: 1905, Bram Stoker, The Man:
glosses: A female given name.
glosses: A surname originating as a patronymic.
glosses: A minor city in Marshall County, Minnesota, United States, named after George Stephen.
Derived terms: Feast of Stephen
Mount Stephen
Saint Stephen
stephening
Stephens
Stephenson
Stephenville
St Stephen
St. Stephen
St Stephens
St Stephens by Launceston Rural
St. Stephen's Day
Related terms: Steen
Steenie
Stephanie
Steve
Stevie
Kirkby Stephen