Dorothy

English

Etymology

The English form of Latin Dorothea, the name of a legendary (and possibly fictitious) saint, from Ancient Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothéa), from δῶρον (dôron, “gift”) + θεός (theós, “god”).

Pronunciation

• (also, US)

Proper noun

Dorothy

1. A female given name.
   • c. 1598, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2: Act II, Scene IV:

     Pistol. Then to you, Mistress Dorothy; I will charge you.

     Doll Tearsheet. Charge me! I scorn you, scurvy companion.

   • 1900 Lyman Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chapter 3:

     "My name is Dorothy," said the girl, " and I am going to the Emerald City to ask the Great Oz to send me back to Kansas."

   • 1990 Russell Baker, There's a Country in My Cellar, Morrow, ISBN 0688095984, page 418:

     Don't you think the world has gone steadily downhill ever since parents stopped naming their children Lucy and Dorothy and started naming them Samantha?

Derived terms

• doll

Related terms

• pet forms: Dodie, Doll, Dolly, Dot, Dottie
• variants: Dora, Doreen, Dorothea, Thea

Translations

female given name

• Abenaki: Toloti
• Armenian: Դորոթեա (Dorotʿea)
• Cherokee: ᏙᎶᏘ (Doloti)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 多萝西 (Duōluóxī)

• Czech: Dorota (cs) f
• Danish: Dorthea
• Estonian: Tiiu
• Faroese: Dorotea f, Dortea f, Durita f, Duruta f, Tea f
• Finnish: Tea (fi), Teija (fi)
• French: Dorothée (fr) f
• German: Dorothea (de) f

• Greek: Δωροθέα (el) f (Dorothéa)
• Inuktitut: ᑑᕈᑎ (tuuruti)
• Italian: Dorotea (it) f
• Japanese: ドロテア (Dorotea), ドロシー (Doroshī)
• Latvian: Doroteja f
• Lithuanian: Dorotėja f
• Polish: Dorota (pl) f
• Portuguese: Doroteia f
• Russian: Дороте́я f (Dorotéja), До́роти f (Dóroti) (transliteration)
• Spanish: Dorotea (es) f
• Swedish: Dorotea (sv)