Diana

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Diana f

1. synonym of Dianella (snail) (family Hydrobiidae)
2. synonym of Dianella (plant) (flax lilies; family Asphodelaceae)
3. synonym of Cercopithecus (guenons; family Cercopithecidae)

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.

• (UK, General American) IPA^(key): /daɪˈænə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ænə

Diana

1. (Roman mythology) The 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.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 19:27:
     :

     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.

2. (astronomy) 78 Diana, a main belt asteroid.
3. (astronomy, mythology) The Moon; the Moon as a deity.
   • 1961, Xavier Herbert, Soldiers' Women, Netley, SA: Fontana Books, published 1978, page 138:

     She betook herself to the bedroom in the western wing, there to lie and watch pale Diana chase the Hunter down the sky.

4. A female given name from Latin.
   • 1605, William Camden, Remains Concerning Britain, John Russell Smith, published 1870, page 56:

     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.

   • 1993, James Kirkup, Queens Have Died Young and Fair, P. Owen, →ISBN, page 94:

     A wholesome British name like Diana, Anne, Margaret or Elizabeth impresses a judge much more than all your vulgar Marilyns, Donnas, Madonnas and Dawns.

• (Eternal Virgin Goddesses): Artemis, Athena/Minerva, Hestia/Vesta

• Diana butterfly
• Diana fritillary
• Diana monkey

• Di
• Diane
• Dianna
• Dianne

• → Hawaiian: Kiana
  • → English: Kiana
• → Serbo-Croatian: Дајана, Dajana
• → Spanish: Dayana

Diana (plural Dianas)

1. A Diana monkey.
2. A Diana fritillary.

• Cynthia
• Delia

• Adina, Aidan, Andai, IANAD, Ida'an, Nadia, Naiad, naiad

From English Diana, borrowed from Latin Diāna.

Diana

1. a female given name from English [in turn from Latin]
2. (Roman mythology) Diana; the 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
3. (astronomy) the asteroid 78 Diana

• IPA^(key): [ˈdɪjana]

Diana f

1. (Roman mythology) Diana (Roman goddess)
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana

• “Diana”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “Diana”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Diana

1. (Roman mythology) Diana
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana

Diana

1. (Roman mythology) Diana
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana

Diana f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana

Matronymics

• son of Diana: Dianuson
• daughter of Diana: Dianudóttir

• Audio:

  (file)

Diana f (genitive Dianas or Diana)

1. (Roman mythology) Diana
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana

From Latin Diana.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdja.na/, /diˈa.na/^[1]
• Rhymes: -ana
• Hyphenation: Dià‧na, Di‧à‧na

Diana f

1. (Roman mythology) Diana
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana

Diana m or f by sense

1. a surname

• Nadia, andai, danai

Diana

1. Rōmaji transcription of ディアナ

• Deana, Iāna, Jāna

Original form with long i Dīāna, derived by syncope from Dīvāna, equivalent to dīvus +‎ -āna; some inscriptions read Deiana or Deana, akin to deus +‎ -āna; both feminine stem words dīva and dea meaning “goddess” derived from Old Latin deiva, from Proto-Italic *deiwā from Proto-Indo-European *deywós from *dyew- (“heaven, day sky; to shine”). See Old Latin Diēspiter, a primitive form of Iuppiter, formed by appending a suffix to Latin diēs, cognate to both dīvus and deus.

Diana is also called Iāna (“Jana”), analogous to procope of Old Latin Diovis into Iovis (“Jove”).

The form Dīviāna occurs in Varro's attempt to explain the etymology of the name, with the now-discredited explanation that "quod luna in altitudinem et latitudinem simul <i>t, Diviana, appellata"; the intention seems to be to derive the name from dēviō (“stray, deviate”), from via (“road”).^[1] If Dīviāna was a genuinely used variant form (rather than a hypothetical form proposed as a precursor), it appears to represent a univerbation dīva +‎ Iāna, literally “Goddess Jana”.^[2]

Compare Attic Greek Διώνη (Diṓnē), Doric Greek Διώνᾱ (Diṓnā), syncopated from Ancient Greek Διϝωνᾱ (Diwōnā), from a shared root whence by analogical formation also evolved Latin Iūnō, Iūnōnis.

• Dīāna: (Old Latin) IPA^(key): [diːˈaː.na]
• Diāna: (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [diˈaː.na]
• Diāna: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [d̪iˈaː.na]

Dīāna or Diāna f (genitive Dīānae or Diānae); first declension

1. (religion) Diana, the daughter of Latona and Jupiter, and twin sister of Apollo; the goddess of the hunt, associated with wild animals and the forest or wilderness, and an emblem of chastity; the Roman counterpart of Greek goddess Artemis.

Old Latin long i form Dīāna, first-declension noun

Late Latin short i form Diāna, first-declension noun

As a female given name:

• “Diana”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Diana”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Diana in Georges, Karl Ernst, Georges, Heinrich (1913–1918) Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th edition, volume 1, Hahnsche Buchhandlung
• Diana in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Diana f

1. a female given name

Diana

1. alternative form of Diane

Learned borrowing from Late Latin Diāna, from Latin Dīāna, from Old Latin Dīvāna.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdja.na/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ana
• Syllabification: Dia‧na

Diana f

1. a female given name from Latin, equivalent to English Diana

Diana f

1. (Roman mythology) Diana (Roman goddess)

• Diana in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Learned borrowing from Latin Diāna. Doublet of Daiane and Daiana.

• Hyphenation: Di‧a‧na

Diana f (plural Dianas)

1. (Roman mythology) Diana (Roman goddess)
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana

• Artemisa

• IPA^(key): [ˈdi̯ana]

Diana f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana
2. (Roman mythology) Diana

• Dianka

• “Diana”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

From Latin Diāna.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdjana/ [ˈd̪ja.na]
• Rhymes: -ana
• Syllabification: Dia‧na

Diana f

1. (Roman mythology) Diana
2. a female given name from Latin, equivalent to English Diana

• Audio:

  (file)

Diana c (genitive Dianas)

1. (Roman mythology) Diana
2. a female given name, equivalent to English Diana