English word origin

Etymology of Cyrus

Borrowed from Latin Cȳrus, from Ancient Greek Κῦρος (Kûros), from Old Persian 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 (kuruš). As a saints' name it has been identified by folk etymology with Ancient Greek κύριος (kúrios, “lord”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

An ancient king of Persia, Cyrus the Great. · A male given name from Old Persian. · A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionCȳrusla
Derivation mentionΚῦροςgrc
Derivation mention𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁peo

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "Cȳrus"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Latin Cȳrus"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Κῦρος",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Κῦρος (Kûros)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "peo",
        "3": "𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁",
        "4": "",
        "sc": "Xpeo",
        "tr": "kuruš"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Persian 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 (kuruš)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Cȳrus",
      "Cyrus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Κῦρος",
      "Κῦρος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁",
      "𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁#Old_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "κύριος",
      "κύριος#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An ancient king of Persia, Cyrus the Great.",
        "A male given name from Old Persian.",
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

The Kura river, as it is called in classical sources.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin Cȳrus, from Ancient Greek Κῦρος (Kûros), perhaps from Urartian 𒆳𒄣𒊑𒀀𒉌 (ᴷᵁᴿqu-ri-a-ni /⁠Quriani⁠/), a land possibly in the upper reaches of the Kura river.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionCȳrusla
Derivation mentionΚῦροςgrc
Derivation mention𒆳𒄣𒊑𒀀𒉌xur

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "Cȳrus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin Cȳrus"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Κῦρος",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Κῦρος (Kûros)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xur",
        "3": "𒆳𒄣𒊑𒀀𒉌",
        "tr": "ᴷᵁᴿqu-ri-a-ni",
        "ts": "Quriani"
      },
      "expansion": "Urartian 𒆳𒄣𒊑𒀀𒉌 (ᴷᵁᴿqu-ri-a-ni /⁠Quriani⁠/)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Cȳrus",
      "Cyrus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Κῦρος",
      "Κῦρος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "𒆳𒄣𒊑𒀀𒉌",
      "𒆳𒄣𒊑𒀀𒉌#Urartian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "The Kura river, as it is called in classical sources."
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Cyrus →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Q3lydXM