Etymology

Pallas

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Today it means: An epithet for Athena, always used together with the name, as Pallas Athena, rather than alone. Full definition →

Ancient Greek Παλλάς
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromΠαλλάς
  2. English todayPallas

From Ancient Greek Παλλάς (Pallás) (f.) or Πάλλας (Pállas) (m.), from πάλλω (pállō, “to poise, sway, or swing”), but explained here by the ancients as more specifically meaning to brandish something. In Athena's conventional iconography, she was often depicted with a spear or a shield. Thus the epithet was explained as referring to her brandishing these things.

Words from the same roots

Ancient GreekΠαλλάς all →

palladian

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.