Orestes
/ɔːˈrɛstiːz/noun
Orestes is a figure in Greek mythology who avenged his father’s murder by killing his mother, Clytemnestra.
Did you know?In Aeschylus’s *Oresteia*, Orestes’s blood revenge becomes a mythic turning point: the ancient cycle of family vengeance is replaced by formal trial and civic justice.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*er- / *or-
“A reconstructed root associated with rising or elevated land; its exact connection to the Greek name is discussed cautiously by etymologists.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄρος (óros)
“Mountain or upland.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Ὀρέστης (Orestēs)
“A personal name traditionally interpreted as “mountain man” or “one of the mountains.””
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Orestes
“The Greek mythological name adopted into Latin literary tradition.”
16th Century
English
Orestes
“The name of the Greek tragic hero, entering English through classical and Renaissance literature.”
Modern English
English
Orestes
“A proper name used for the mythological character and, occasionally, for people named after him.”