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Every origin of the name Larissa, or Larisa, is Greek. Although it is used in Russia, it is derived from the ancient city of Larisa, Thessaly, which city was named for the local fountain nymph, Larissa, as well as numerous other cities in Asia Minor at that time that were founded by Pelasgians. It also shares a root with the Greek word for laughter, as does the name Lara, which is why many times its official meaning will be listed as "cheerful". A more whimsical approach to the meaning of this name also has to do with its connection to the ancient Greek word for "laughter" in that it can also mean "sea gull", a bird whose call can often sound like laughter. There are absolutely no traces of Russian meaning to the name Larissa or Larisa; it has simply been borrowed from the Greeks.
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First of all, I don’t quite see your point: Who claims a Russian origin for LARIS(S)A? BTN obviously doesn’t.
I spent some time on research on the original meaning of the name, too, and I came to the conclusion, that the answers are rather vague.
One thing you write is new to me: the “local fountain nymph” you talk about. I would be interested in seeing your sources for that. The only “water” part I could find, was the name of a river LARIS(S)OS in the northern part of the Peleponnese.
Also, I have never come across LARA’s“official meaning … cheerful.” Unless LARA is a variant of LAURA, it is a short form of LARISSA. So here again, I would be interested in your sources.
I cannot find an Ancient Greek word for laughter, that could serve as the origin of LARISSA. What I find is “gelao” for laugh. There is a word “laros,” however (with the stress on the second syllable), meaning “pleasant, delicious,” which semantically is not far away from “cheerfull” und “laughter.” A second Greek word “laros”(with the stress on the first syllabe) means “dove,” but my Greek dictionary gives completely different etymological derivations for the two words. Both of them, it seems, have been considered as a possible origin of the name LARISSA.
BTN mentions “citadel” as the original meaning of the name of the city of Larisa, and that is what I ended up with as well. “Lerisai,” I found, was the “Ionic-Greek word for fortress.” The word is found in none of my dictionaries, and I don’t know much about Ionic Greek ...
I spent some time on research on the original meaning of the name, too, and I came to the conclusion, that the answers are rather vague.
One thing you write is new to me: the “local fountain nymph” you talk about. I would be interested in seeing your sources for that. The only “water” part I could find, was the name of a river LARIS(S)OS in the northern part of the Peleponnese.
Also, I have never come across LARA’s“official meaning … cheerful.” Unless LARA is a variant of LAURA, it is a short form of LARISSA. So here again, I would be interested in your sources.
I cannot find an Ancient Greek word for laughter, that could serve as the origin of LARISSA. What I find is “gelao” for laugh. There is a word “laros,” however (with the stress on the second syllable), meaning “pleasant, delicious,” which semantically is not far away from “cheerfull” und “laughter.” A second Greek word “laros”(with the stress on the first syllabe) means “dove,” but my Greek dictionary gives completely different etymological derivations for the two words. Both of them, it seems, have been considered as a possible origin of the name LARISSA.
BTN mentions “citadel” as the original meaning of the name of the city of Larisa, and that is what I ended up with as well. “Lerisai,” I found, was the “Ionic-Greek word for fortress.” The word is found in none of my dictionaries, and I don’t know much about Ionic Greek ...
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She is stretching the meaning of one possible etymology for Laris(s)a
The "laughter" part comes from a hypothesis for Laris(s)a derivated from the Latin hilaris or hilarus, "cheerful", from the Greek ilarós, with the same meaning. Probably someone related "cheerful" with "laughter", but are two different things and have different words in Greek.
The "laughter" part comes from a hypothesis for Laris(s)a derivated from the Latin hilaris or hilarus, "cheerful", from the Greek ilarós, with the same meaning. Probably someone related "cheerful" with "laughter", but are two different things and have different words in Greek.
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Intriguing - not convincing. Thanks for the hint! Andy ;—) nm
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