Ophelia en · PROPN
Pronunciation
- /oʊˈfi.li.ə/ (US)
- /oʊˈfi.əl.jə/ (US)
- /əˈfiː.lɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /əʊˈfiː.lɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɒˈfiː.lɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian Ofelia, coined by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro in his poem Arcadia (1504), probably from the Ancient Greek ὠφέλειᾰ (ōphéleiă, “help, aid, succour”). The name was used by William Shakespeare for the daugher of Polonius and ill-fated love interest of Hamlet. The moon (of Uranus) is named after this character. Doublet of anopheles
Meanings
-
A female given name from Ancient Greek.
I lov’d Ophelia: forty thousand brothers // Could not, with all their quantity of love, // Make up my sum.
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:The eldest daughter of a nobleman / Ophelia lived in fantasy / But love was a cold bed full of scorpions / The venom stole her sanity
2025 October 14, “The Fate of Ophelia”, in The Life of a Showgirl, performed by Taylor Swift:
- A moon of Uranus.
Deriveds
Ophelia complex · Ophelian · Ophelia syndrome
Translations (18)
el Οφηλία (female given name) · tr Ofelya (female given name) · mr ओफीलिया (female given name) · ja オフィーリア (moon of Uranus) · sh Ofélija (female given name) · ru Офе́лия (moon of Uranus) · sh Офе́лија (female given name) · de Ophelia (female given name) · hy Օֆելյա (female given name) · pt Ofélia (female given name) · ru Офе́лия (female given name) · az Ofelya (female given name) · pl Ofelia (female given name) · eo Ofelio (female given name) · mr ओफीलिया (moon of Uranus) · es Ofelia (female given name) · fr Ophélie (female given name) · pl Ofelia (moon of Uranus)
wikipedia: Jacopo Sannazaro · wikipedia: William Shakespeare