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Glite Dictionary
theophoric

theophoric

9.9
A personal name that contains a god's name
  • adjective
  • /θiˈɑfərɪk/
  • Specialized
: teofórico
  • In many cultures, theophoric names indicate a deep connection to the divine, such as 'Abdallah,' meaning 'servant of God.'

Where things are more complicated is Baal, because Yahweh and Baal share almost a similar sort of theophoric profile.

Examples

  • The study of ancient theophoric names reveals how people perceived their relationship with the gods.

  • Many theophoric names were created to express devotion, reflecting the importance of religion in people's lives.

  • The theophoric names, especially that of "Slave of the Praiseworthy," the man who lost his whole family, seem to be chosen deliberately.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Where things are more complicated is Baal, because Yahweh and Baal share almost a similar sort of theophoric profile.

    Alex O'Connor

Antonyms

secular
165 4.7

Not connected with religion, about everyday and public life

Surface Forms

theophoric positive

Morphology

theophoric = theo + phor + ic

Although analyzable into Greek combining forms ('theo-' + '-phor-' + '-ic'), these elements are not familiar productive English morphemes for a B1 learner, so the meaning is not readily derivable from common English base words.

Etymology

Theophoric comes from the parts theo- meaning 'god' (as in theology) and -phoric meaning 'bearing' or 'carrying'. So a theophoric name 'carries' or contains the name of a god.