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ArchivesRe: meaning of Juliet
in reply to a message by r
You are confusing two different aspects of "meaning".
Juliet is a feminine form of Julius or Julian. By the time that particular form was created, Julius and Julia were not thought of in terms of their original etymology by parents in Italy or France who were using those names. In fact, as you can see from the entry for Julius, it is such an ancient Roman family name that no one is sure what the word it is derived from originally meant. "Downy-bearded" and "related to Jupiter" are just the two best guesses of people who are experts in ancient Latin language and ancient Roman culture, but we don't know for sure.
So parents who used Juliet or Julia as a name for their daughters have not consciously been thinking that they "meant" anything like "downybearded" for over 2000 years. They have just been names, and their real psychological meaning has been given to them by the many historical figures named Julius, Julia, or Juliet. In English speaking cultures, it's hard for educated people to hear or see Juliet and not think of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, so that's the closest thing to a common "meaning" you could come up with.
But in terms of etymology, there is no way to make the "meaning" of Juliet more "feminine" than to say "feminine form of Julius".
Juliet is a feminine form of Julius or Julian. By the time that particular form was created, Julius and Julia were not thought of in terms of their original etymology by parents in Italy or France who were using those names. In fact, as you can see from the entry for Julius, it is such an ancient Roman family name that no one is sure what the word it is derived from originally meant. "Downy-bearded" and "related to Jupiter" are just the two best guesses of people who are experts in ancient Latin language and ancient Roman culture, but we don't know for sure.
So parents who used Juliet or Julia as a name for their daughters have not consciously been thinking that they "meant" anything like "downybearded" for over 2000 years. They have just been names, and their real psychological meaning has been given to them by the many historical figures named Julius, Julia, or Juliet. In English speaking cultures, it's hard for educated people to hear or see Juliet and not think of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, so that's the closest thing to a common "meaning" you could come up with.
But in terms of etymology, there is no way to make the "meaning" of Juliet more "feminine" than to say "feminine form of Julius".
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