Pitys
/ˈpaɪ.tɪs/noun
In Greek mythology, Pitys was a nymph associated with the pine tree who was transformed into one.
Did you know?According to Greek myth, the god Pan loved Pitys, but the jealous wind god Boreas drove her to her death; Gaia then transformed her into a pine tree.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pítus
“Pine tree or resinous tree”
Mycenaean Greek
Greek
𐀠𐀲𐀳 (possibly pitys)
“A form associated with the pine; the reading is uncertain in the Linear B record”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πίτυς (pítus)
“Pine tree, especially a pine used for its timber or resin”
Hellenistic Greek
Greek
Πίτυς (Pítus)
“Pitys, the mythological nymph whose story explained the origin of the pine”
19th Century
English
Pitys
“A classical mythological name used in English retellings and reference works”
Modern English
English
Pitys
“The mythic pine nymph, or a poetic personification of the pine tree”