Submitted Name Revision History

loadingDate    Editor    Change Summary
1/27/2023, 3:42 PM Mike C
8/13/2016, 6:57 AM LMS
10/4/2012, 4:41 PM SeaHorse15
5/12/2006, 9:19 AM DylanCreep

Name Tristessa
Gender Feminine
Usage Literature, Popular Culture
Pronounced Pron. tri-STES-ə(English)
Other Forms FormsTristesse, Tristitia
Edit Status Statusnot set

Meaning & History

Used by the 20th-century writer Jack Kerouac for the title character in his short novel 'Tristessa' (1960), in which case it was intended to be an Anglicization of the Spanish word tristeza meaning "sadness" (from Latin tristis; compare Tristan). It was subsequently used by American rock band The Smashing Pumpkins for 'Tristessa' (1990), the title of which song is a direct allusion to Jack Kerouac's 1960 novella of the same name.
Added 5/12/2006 by DylanCreep