Mithras

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin Mithras. Doublet of Mehr, mitre, and Mitra.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

Mithras

1. A Roman god, cult figure of the 2nd-to-4th-century Roman mystery religion known as the "Mysteries of Mithras", or Mithraism.

Derived terms

• Mithrasmas

Related terms

• Mithra
• Mithraic
• Mithratic
• Mitra

Latin

Etymology

Probably via Ancient Greek Μίθρας (Míthras) from some unattested Old Iranian intermediary, ultimately from vocative Avestan 𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬭𐬀 (miθra) (cf. Mithra).

Until the 1970s, the character of Roman Mithras was widely assumed to be a continuation of that of Iranian Mithra (and thus also of Indo-Iranian *mitra). This notion is no longer followed today, and it is generally agreed that borrowing (e.g. of the name) does not constitute continuation.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈmɪ.tʰraːs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈmiː.tras]

Proper noun

Mithrās m sg (genitive Mithrae); first declension

1. A Roman god, cult figure of the 2nd–4th century Roman mystery religion known as the "Mysteries of Mithras" (now colloquially Mithraism)

Declension

First-declension noun (masculine, Greek-type, nominative singular in -ās), singular only.

	singular
nominative	Mithrās
genitive	Mithrae
dative	Mithrae
accusative	Mithrān
ablative	Mithrā
vocative	Mithrā

References

• “Mithras”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Mithras”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.