ENGLISH
REFERENCE

christopher

n. countable
A1 Beginner US //ˈkɹɪstəfɝ// christo·pher

n. a common name for a man or a boy. People often shorten it to Chris.

n. a masculine given name of Greek origin, meaning 'Christ-bearer'.


SIMPLE

My friend Christopher lives in London.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher called Christopher to the front of the room to collect his award.

COMPLEX

While the name Christopher remains a staple in many English-speaking countries, its popularity has fluctuated significantly across different decades and social classes.

Origin

From Late Latin Christophorus, from Koine Greek Χρῑστόφορος (Khrīstóphoros, “carrier of Christ”), from Ancient Greek Χριστός (Khristós, “Christ”) + φόρος (phóros, “carrier, bearer”), from φέρειν (phérein, “to carry, to bear”) + -ος (-os, “-er: forming agent nouns”), from the legend of Saint Christopher carrying the infant Jesus across a river.

Usage

As a proper noun, it is always capitalized.

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