English
Hortense
Hortense comes from Latin Hortēnsius ‘name of a Roman gens’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEHortēnsius‘name of a Roman gens’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEHortēnsiafeminine form of Hortēnsius
- Englishearliest quotation 1883Hortense
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEHortēnsius‘name of a Roman gens’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEHortēnsiafeminine form of Hortēnsius
- Englishearliest quotation 1883Hortense
Earliest quotation: 1883, Sophie Swett, All the Plums: “Her name was Mabel Hortense, and the children were…”
The story
From the French form of the Latin Hortēnsia, feminine form of Hortēnsius (‘name of a Roman gens’), probably derived from hortēnsis (‘having to do with gardens’) on the basis that the first to bear the name was a gardener.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘to take, get’
girl, card, rocket, chart, chronic, cartoon, chorus, cartridge, cartel, synchronous, carton, urchin, crony, carte, synchronize, cartography, cron, germanium, cartouche, 33 more
through Latin hortus ‘garden’
Today it means
name A female given name from French.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin Hortēnsius / Hortense