Anne

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female given name of Hebrew origin meaning 'grace' or 'favor'
2. A common name in various cultures, often associated with elegance and gracefulness
3. A traditional name frequently used in literature and historical contexts, often symbolizing beauty and kindness

Etymology: The name "Anne" begins in the Hebrew "Ḥannâ," which means "grace" or "gracious," and in a traditional sense "graced with child." It passed through Greek "Ánna" in the New Testament, then Late Latin "Anna," and reached French as "Anne." The name is then a doublet of "Ann," "Ana," "Anna," and "Hannah," all sharing that one Hebrew source. Its association with the Virgin Mary's mother, the apocryphal St Anne, helped spread it across Christian Europe. A separate line of descent also feeds into the name. Several Germanic masculine names beginning with "arn," meaning "eagle," were shortened to forms that sounded like "Anne" in some traditions, so a name that is almost wholly Hebrew in origin shares a surface resemblance with names of a very different sort. Someone choosing "Anne" today is therefore drawing on two unrelated histories that happen to meet in one spelling.

Synonyms: Annie, Ann, Anna, Annette, Annabelle