Christian

From Middle English Cristien, from Old French chrestien, from Latin Christianus, from Ancient Greek Χριστιανός (Khristianós), from Χριστός (Khristós, “Christ, anointed one”) + Latin suffix -anus. The older form is Christen. Doublet of cretin.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪʃtʃən/, /ˈkɹɪstjən/, /ˈkɹɪstʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Chris‧tian

Christian (plural Christians)

1. A believer in Christianity.
   • 1600, William Shakespeare, The Most Excellent Historie of the Merchant of Venice, Act III, Scene i:

     Shyl.... If a Iewe wrong a Christian, what is his humillity, reuenge? If a Christian wrong a Iewe, what should his sufferance be by Christian example, why reuenge? The villanie you teach me I will execute, and it shall goe hard but I will better the instruction.

   • 1848, James Ford translating St. Augustine in The Gospel of St. Matthew, Illustrated from Ancient and Modern Authors, p. 46:

     The whole life of a good Christian is nothing else but a state of holy desire (sanctum desiderium).

   • 1925, E. Stanley Jones, The Christ of the Indian Road, p. 118:

     "Mahatma Gandhi, I am very anxious to see Christianity naturalized in India, so that it shall be no longer a foreign thing identified with foreign people and a foreign government, but a part of the national life of India... What would you suggest that we do to make that possible?" He very gravely and thoughtfully replied: "I would suggest, first, that all of you Christians, missionaries and all, must begin to live more like Jesus Christ."

   • 2008, Christopher Catherwood, Making War in the Name of God, p. 188:

     ...thousands of people have been killed in recent years in violence between Muslims and Christians...

2. An individual who seeks to live his or her life according to the principles and values taught by Jesus Christ.
   • 1526, William Bonde, Preface to Pylgrimage of Perfection:

     Ye lyfe of euery christian, is as a pilgremage.

   • 1976, Walter Arnold Kaufmann translating Friedrich Nietzsche in The Antichrist, §39:

     The very word 'Christianity' is a misunderstanding—at bottom there was only one Christian, and he died on the cross.

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 29:

     ‘You're riding for a fall, Healey, you know that? There are hedges and ditches ahead and you are on course for an almighty cropper.... And I shall be cheering and laughing as you tumble,’ said Meddlar, his spectacles flashing.
     ‘That's just the warm-hearted Christian in you, sir.’

• religionist, theist, Abrahamist, People of the Book

• Christianess
• Christianist
• Catholic
• Orthodox
• Anglican
• Protestant

• (religionists) religionist; Ahmadi,‎ Baha'i,‎ Buddhist,‎ Christian,‎ deist,‎ Druid,‎ Eckist,‎ heathen,‎ Hindu,‎ Jain,‎ Jedi,‎ Jew,‎ Mormon,‎ Mormonist,‎ Muslim,‎ Odinist,‎ pagan,‎ Pastafarian,‎ Rastafarian,‎ Raëlian,‎ Shintoist,‎ Sikh,‎ Taoist,‎ Unitarian Universalist,‎ Yazidi,‎ Wiccan,‎ Zoroastrian ^{(Category: en:Religion) [edit]}

Christian

1. A male given name found in England since the twelfth century.
2. A female given name of medieval usage, rare today.
3. A patronymic surname​.

• Christian County

• feminine forms: Christiana, Christina, Christine

Christian (comparative more Christian, superlative most Christian)

1. (not comparable) Of, like or relating to Christianity or Christians.
2. (not comparable) Of, like or relating to Jesus Christ.
3. Kind, charitable; moral; a term of approbation.

   That's very Christian of you.

   • 1824, Susan Ferrier, The Inheritance

     I cannot help thinking there are people in the world who are very tiresome, very impertinent, and very disagreeable; yet, I don't think it would be a very Christian act were I to tell them so.

   • 1854, Nathaniel James Merriman, The Kafir, the Hottentot, and the frontier farmer (page 74)

     I must say I have seen him do a very Christian act at the Fish River. Some Kafir women were there eating; he begged of them; they refused to give him any food. […] I gave him some of the victuals we were enjoying, and he instantly broke the bread, and gave of it to these very Kafir women who had just refused any of theirs.

   • 1859, David W. Belisle, The American family Robinson (page 290)

     "Besides this," said the trapper, "it is hardly a Christian act to leave these two men to perish by the hands of the savages […]

   • 1867, Henry Shepheard, Ithuriel's spear; or, Is this Christianity? (page 118)

     So, in his esteem, an auto da fé — an "act of faith," as the words mean — is really an act of faith — an act of such faith as the author of "Ecce Homo" approves — a most Christian act — a most humane act […]

   • 1867?, Janet Robertson, Christine; or, Common-Place People

     I have only been at home two days, and here I am come on the third to see you and Tiny, so it is not Christian of you — as my mother would say — to receive your dutiful grand-nephew in such an unkind manner […]

   • 1981, Mary Leader, Salem's Children, →ISBN, page 82

     "Why should I? It's very Christian of you." "People here do not think of me as a Christian, Mitti." "I'd call it Christian charity," I floundered. "You think Christians have a monopoly on charity?" she asked. "Well, no," I stammered.

   • 1995, Patrick Colm Hogan, Joyce, Milton, and the theory of influence, page 88:

     Joyce […] must have found himself likewise in accord with Dante's view that "The Goal of Mankind is Universal Peace," a view to which Dante devoted an entire section of his treatise, and a view opposed to the protestant militancy of the more muscularly Christian Milton.

   • 1996 Nov-Dec, Richard Blow, “Al Franken”, in Mother Jones Magazine‎, volume 21, number 6:

     I didn't think it was very Christian of them, not to call back. Just downright Un-Christian."

   • 2009, Adriane Danette Lentz-Smith, Freedom Struggles: African Americans and World War I, page 209:

     Mood and hopes ran high. Onto the stage, into this mélange of black power, military symbolism, and Christian striving, walked Kathryn Johnson.

   • 2010, Linda Woodbridge, English Revenge Drama: Money, Resistance, Equality, page 268:

     Henry Irving and other Victorian actors easily created empathy for Shylock, even in a muscularly Christian period.

• Use of the term "Christian" in the generalised approbative sense "kind, moral" may be displeasing to some non-Christians.

• (kind): charitable, helpful, kind, neighborly/neighbourly, sweet (informal)

• (of or relating to Christianity or Christians): agnostic, atheist, heathen, non-Christian, pagan
• (charitable, moral): corrupt, immoral, improper, unjust, savage

• Christian name

• Christ
• Christianity
• Christianize
• cretin

• Catholic
• fundamentalist
• Jew
• messiah
• Mormon
• Muslim
• New Testament
• Old Testament
• Protestant

• Christina, trichinas

From English Christian, ffrom Latin Christianus, from Ancient Greek Χριστιανός (Khristianós), from Χριστός (Khristós, “Christ, anointed one”).

Christian

1. a male given name

• Kristian

Latin Christianus.

• IPA^(key): [ˈkʰʁæsd̥jan]

Christian

1. A male given name.
   • 1778, Johannes Ewald, Danish royal anthem

     Kong Christian stod ved højen mast
     i røg og damp;
     hans værge hamrede så fast,
     at gotens hjelm og hjerne brast.
     Da sank hvert fjendtligt spejl og mast
     i røg og damp.

     King Christian stood by the lofty mast
     In mist and smoke;
     His sword was hammering so fast,
     Through Gothic helm and brain it passed;
     Then sank each hostile hulk and mast,
     In mist and smoke.

• Traditionally popular in Denmark, as the name of ten ruling kings since the fifteenth century.

• (male given names) Carsten, Chresten, Chris, Christen, Karsten, Kresten, Kristen
• (feminine forms) Christine, Kirstine, Kristine
• (surnames) Christiansen, Kristiansen, Christensen, Kristensen

• Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 146 350 males with the given name Christian (compared to 72 098 named Kristian) have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 19th century. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

• IPA^(key): /kʁis.tjɑ̃/

Christian

1. A male given name, equivalent to English Christian.

• female given names: Christiane, Christine, Christelle

• IPA^(key): [ˈkʀɪsti̯an]

• Audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Chris‧ti‧an

Christian

1. A male given name.

• Carsten, Karsten
• feminine forms: Christiane, Christina, Christine.

• Kristian

From Latin Chrīstiānus.

Christian

1. A male given name.

• Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, →ISBN
• Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 13 192 males with the given name Christian (compared to 15 707 named Kristian) living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak in the 1980s. Accessed on April 29th, 2011.

Christian m (nominative singular Christians)

1. A male given name, equivalent to English Christian

Christian c (genitive Christians)

1. A male given name, a spelling variant of Kristian.

• Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, →ISBN
• Statistiska centralbyrån and Sture Allén, Staffan Wåhlin, Förnamnsboken, Norstedts 1995, →ISBN: 36 914 males with the given name Christian (compared to 14 967 named Kristian) living in Sweden on December 31st, 2010, with the frequency peak in the 1980s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.