Ishtar

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A prominent ancient Mesopotamian goddess associated with love, fertility, war, and political power, often depicted with symbols of both beauty and aggression
2. A deity from early Middle Eastern mythology embodying dual aspects of sexual desire and martial strength, worshipped widely in cultures like the Babylonians and Assyrians
3. A divine figure revered in ancient Near Eastern religion representing fertility, passion, combat, and sovereign authority, known for complex myths blending creation and destruction themes

Etymology: Ishtar was the Akkadian goddess of love, war and fertility, worshipped across Mesopotamia for thousands of years before anyone in English had heard her name. The name reached English as a learned borrowing taken directly from Akkadian, the language of the Babylonian and Assyrian peoples, where the goddess was written 𒀭𒈹 (Ištar). Scholars and writers adopted it to name her in historical and religious contexts, rather than through the everyday speech of ordinary English speakers. The name is a doublet of "Astarte" and "Ashtoreth", two forms of the same goddess that arrived in English through Greek and Hebrew traditions. All three descend from a shared ancient Semitic root, but each took a different route into English, so one goddess ended up with three names in the language. Despite a common popular belief, "Ishtar" has no connection to "Easter". The resemblance is coincidental, and the spring festival name comes from an unrelated Germanic source.