Meanings
- Romanhuman sciencesThe daughter of Latona and Jupiter, and twin sister of Apollo; the goddess of the hunt, associated wild animals and the forest or wilderness, and an emblem of chastity; the Roman counterpart of Artemis.
So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and all the world worshippeth.
- astronomy78 Diana, a main belt asteroid.
- astronomyThe Moon; the Moon as a deity.
She betook herself to the bedroom in the western wing, there to lie and watch pale Diana chase the Hunter down the sky.
1961, Xavier Herbert, Soldiers' Women, Netley, SA: Fontana Books, published 1978, page 138 - A female given name from Latin.
A wholesome British name like Diana, Anne, Margaret or Elizabeth impresses a judge much more than all your vulgar Marilyns, Donnas, Madonnas and Dawns.
1993, James Kirkup, Queens Have Died Young and Fair, P. Owen, →ISBN, page 941 more example
But succeeding ages (little regarding S. Chrysosthome's admonition to the contrary) have recalled prophane names, so as now Diana, Cassandra, Hyppolytus, Venus, Lais, names of unhappy disaster are as rife, as ever they were in paganism.
1605, William Camden, Remains Concerning Britain, John Russell Smith, published 1870, page 56
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*-néh₂
- Proto-Italic*deiwā“goddess”
- Old LatinDīvāna
- LatinDīāna
- Late LatinDiāna
- EnglishDiana
Borrowed from Late Latin Diāna, short form of Latin Dīāna, derived by syncope from Old Latin Dīvāna, equivalent to dīvus + -āna; roughly akin to Proto-Italic *deiwā (“goddess”) + Proto-Indo-European *-néh₂. Originally an Old Italic divinity of light and the moon; later identified as the Roman counterpart to Greek goddess Artemis. Cognate of Attic Greek Διώνη (Diṓnē), similarly syncopated from older Ancient Greek Διϝωνη (Diwōnē), whence via Latin Diōne is derived English Dione used in various ways across astronomy, chemistry, biology, and as a given name. From the same root Proto-Indo-European *dyúh₃onh₂- also potentially cognate to English June via Latin Jūnō.
More words from Late Latin, Latin, Old Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 狄安娜, 狄阿娜
- 狄安娜 (Dí'ānnà)Roman goddess
- 狄阿娜 (Dí'ānà)Roman goddess
- 戴安娜 (Dài'ānnà)female given name
- 黛安娜 (Dài'ānnà)female given name
Czech Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
Danish Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
Dutch Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
Estonian Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
French Diane, Diane
- DianeRoman goddess
- Dianefemale given name
German Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
Greek Άρτεμις
- Άρτεμις (Ártemis)Roman goddess
Hebrew דיאנה
- דיאנהfemale given name
Hindi डायना, डायना
- डायना (ḍāynā)Roman goddess
- डायना (ḍāynā)female given name
Italian Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
Japanese ダイアナ, ダイアナ
- ダイアナ (Daiana)Roman goddess
- ダイアナ (Daiana)female given name
Latin Dīāna, Jāna
- DīānaRoman goddess
- JānaRoman goddess
- IānaRoman goddess
- DiānaRoman goddess
- DīvānaRoman goddess
Latvian Diāna, Diāna
- DiānaRoman goddess
- Diānafemale given name
Norwegian Diana
- Dianafemale given name
Polish Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
Portuguese Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
Russian Диа́на, Диа́на
- Диа́на (Diána)Roman goddess
- Диа́на (Diána)female given name
- Дайа́на (Dajána)female given name
Spanish Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
Swedish Diana, Diana
- DianaRoman goddess
- Dianafemale given name
Vietnamese thần Đi-anh
- thần Đi-anhRoman goddess
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Diana
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Diana. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Diana
“Diana.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Diana. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Diana,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Diana.
Source: Diana on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.