Mnestra
/ˈmniːstrə/noun
Mnestra is a female name in Greek mythology, borne by a daughter of the Cretan king Erysichthon in later mythographic traditions.
Did you know?Mnestra’s name is commonly associated with the Greek word-group surrounding μνάομαι, which could relate both to remembering and to wooing or courtship—an eerie overlap between memory and desire.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“To think, remember, or have one’s mind engaged”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μνάομαι (mnáomai)
“To remember; also, in another established sense, to woo or court”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μνηστήρ (mnēstḗr)
“A suitor or wooer, from the same Greek word-family associated with Mnestra”
Classical Greek
Greek
Μνήστρα (Mnḗstra)
“A mythological female proper name; its exact formation and original intended sense are uncertain”
19th Century
English
Mnestra
“An English rendering of the Greek mythological name”