areopagite
|a-re-o-pa-gite|
/ˌærɪˈɒpəɡaɪt/
member of the Areopagus (Ares' hill council)
Etymology
'areopagite' originates from Late Latin 'Areopagites', ultimately from Greek 'Areiopagites' (Ἀρειοπαγῖται), where 'Areios' meant 'of Ares' (the god Ares) and 'pagos' meant 'rock' or 'hill' (hence 'Hill of Ares').
'Areiopagites' (Greek) passed into Late Latin as 'Areopagites' and then into English as 'areopagite' (via Medieval Latin and Middle English usage), retaining the sense of a member of the Areopagus and later also as an ecclesiastical epithet.
Initially it meant 'a member of the Areopagus (the hill-council of Ares)', but over time it also came to be used as a title for certain Christian figures or writers associated with or styled after the Areopagus (for example, 'Dionysius the Areopagite').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a member of the Areopagus, the ancient Athenian council or court (especially one who sat on that tribunal).
An areopagite judged cases concerning homicide and religious matters in classical Athens.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a person associated with the Areopagus in a religious or historical sense; historically used as an epithet (e.g., 'Dionysius the Areopagite' or 'the Areopagite') referring to a Christian figure or writer connected with the Areopagus.
Medieval writers sometimes referred to the anonymous theologian as an Areopagite.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/11 06:44