Minerva

See also: minerva

English

Etymology 1

From Latin Minerva, from Etruscan, originally from Proto-Indo-European *men-es-weh₂, extended from the stem *men-s- (“mind”) (Sanskrit मनस् (manas, “mind”), compare मनस्विन् (manas-vin-, “full of mind or sense”)), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /mɪˈnɜː.və/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /mɪˈnɝ.və/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)və

Proper noun

Minerva (plural Minervas)

1. (Roman mythology) The goddess of wisdom, especially strategic warfare, and the arts, especially crafts and in particular weaving. She is the Roman counterpart of Athena.
   • 1798, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, “Author’s Preface”, in W[illiam] Godwin, editor, Posthumous Works of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. […], volume I, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […]; and G[eorge,] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […], →OCLC:

     In many works of this ſpecies, the hero is allowed to be mortal, and to become wiſe and virtuous as well as happy, by a train of events and circumſtances. The heroines, on the contrary, are to be born immaculate; and to act like goddeſſes of wiſdom, juſt come forth highly finiſhed Minervas from the head of Jove.

2. (astronomy) 93 Minerva, a main belt asteroid.
3. (poetic) Wisdom.

Coordinate terms

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

Translations

goddess of wisdom, especially strategic warfare, and the arts

• Arabic: مِينِيرْفَا f (minirfā)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 彌涅耳瓦／弥涅耳瓦 (Míniè'ěrwǎ)

• Czech: Minerva (cs) f
• French: Minerve (fr) f
• Greek: Μινέρβα (el) f (Minérva)
• Japanese: ミネルバ (Mineruba)
• Korean: 미네르바 (Minereuba)
• Latin: Minerva (la) f
• Polish: Minerwa (pl) f
• Portuguese: Minerva (pt) f
• Russian: Мине́рва (ru) f (Minérva)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian Minerva.

Proper noun

Minerva (plural Minervas)

1. A surname from Italian.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Minerva is the 33810^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 673 individuals. Minerva is most common among White (83.66%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Minerva”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 594.

Anagrams

• vermian

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɪnɛrva]

Proper noun

Minerva f

1. (Roman mythology) Minerva (Roman goddess)

Declension

Declension of Minerva (sg-only hard feminine)

	singular
nominative	Minerva
genitive	Minervy
dative	Minervě
accusative	Minervu
vocative	Minervo
locative	Minervě
instrumental	Minervou

Further reading

• Minerva in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu
• Minerva in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Latin

Etymology

From Etruscan, originally from Proto-Indo-European *menesweh₂, extended from *ménos (“mind”) (Sanskrit मनस् (manas), compare मनस्विन् (manas-vin-, “full of mind or sense”)), from the Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /miˈner.u̯a/, [mɪˈnɛru̯ä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /miˈner.va/, [miˈnɛrvä]

Proper noun

Minerva f (genitive Minervae); first declension

1. Minerva, goddess of wisdom

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	Minerva	Minervae
Genitive	Minervae	Minervārum
Dative	Minervae	Minervīs
Accusative	Minervam	Minervās
Ablative	Minervā	Minervīs
Vocative	Minerva	Minervae

Coordinate terms

• Belisama, Artemis/Diana, Vesta

Descendants

• → English: Minerva
• → French: Minerve
• → Japanese: ミネルウァ (Mineruwa) (learned)
• → Portuguese: Minerva
• → Spanish: Minerva

References

• “Minerva”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Minerva”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Minerva in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Minerva, from Etruscan.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /miˈnɛʁ.vɐ/ [miˈnɛɦ.vɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /miˈnɛʁ.vɐ/ [miˈnɛɦ.vɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /miˈnɛɾ.vɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /miˈnɛʁ.vɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /miˈnɛɻ.va/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /miˈnɛɾ.vɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /miˈnɛɾ.vɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /miˈnɛɾ.bɐ/ [miˈnɛɾ.βɐ]

• Hyphenation: Mi‧ner‧va

Proper noun

Minerva f

1. (Roman mythology) Minerva (goddess of wisdom)

See also

• Atena

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Minerva, from Etruscan, originally from Proto-Indo-European *men-es-weh₂, extended from the stem *men-s- (“mind”) (Sanskrit मनस् (manas), compare मनस्विन् (manas-vin-, “full of mind or sense”)), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miˈneɾba/ [miˈneɾ.β̞a]
• Rhymes: -eɾba
• Syllabification: Mi‧ner‧va

Proper noun

Minerva f

1. (Roman mythology) Minerva
2. a female given name from Latin

See also

• Atenea