TGViewer
r/etymology r/etymology @r_etymology · 50 subscribers
Post #12799 3
Melchiades and Miltiades

Thought the name "Melquíades" was cool and wanted to know the etymology. Every source I've found (which is nothing trustworthy: baby name sites, faith sites, AI) just says it's from Greek "Miltiades." It doesn't help that there was a pope known as both Miltiades and Melchiades.

I don't really buy it. For one, I don't see anything about a /t/ to /k/ sound change, in or between those languages. I think that Hebrew has some role here. My guesses are

I think, if it is Greek in origin, it is still borrowing "Melchi-" ("my king" or "king of") from Hebrew (compare "Melchizedek" and "Melchior").

Perhaps it's even a hellenization of "Melchi" by adding the patronymic suffix "-ades"?

Does that sound right? Any idea where I could find a source to support or refute those ideas?

https://redd.it/1wnscv5
@r_etymology
Reddit From the etymology community on Reddit Explore this post and more from the etymology community
More from @r_etymology
  1. Sep 25, 2026What do you call this? What do you call it when there's a piece of information that you ha…
  2. Sep 25, 2026When and how did "like" come to mean "said"? For an example of what I am talking about her…
  3. Sep 25, 2026Guard and Ward: the same Germanic root, split by a French dialect, then reunited in Englis…
  4. Sep 25, 2026Oriental, Occidental, and...? We've all heard of the term "oriental" as an adjective in re…
  5. Sep 25, 2026I think “Yen” is my favorite, just meaning “round object” lol https://redd.it/1wpc3oi @r_e…
  6. Sep 24, 2026What's the origin of the term "tatty talk"? There is the term "tatty talk", that seems to…
Threads Profile ViewerView any public Threads profile without an account.Open ThreadLook →Writing with AI? Make it sound human.Metric37 rewrites AI drafts so they read naturally. Free AI detector, 1,500 words free.Try Metric37 →