Irenaeus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The Christian bishop of Lyon in the second century who wrote influential works opposing heresy and defending orthodox doctrine
2. A early Church father and bishop of Lyon, famed for his writings against Gnostic teachings in the late 2nd century
3. The theologian and bishop of Lyon whose treatise Against Heresies shaped the defense of Christian orthodoxy around AD 180

Etymology: Irenaeus is a name rather than an ordinary word, and it means "peaceful." It comes from the Greek "eirēnē," meaning "peace," with a suffix that turns the noun into an adjective meaning "belonging to peace." The Greek name Eirenaios passed into Latin as Irenaeus, and English took it from there. The same root sits behind "irenic," a word for peaceable or conciliatory attitudes, which descends from the Greek "eirēnikos." Irenaeus is therefore a name built on the same concept of peace that gives English that more learned adjective.