indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Gender Feminine
Usage Greek Mythology
Scripts Δεσποινη(Ancient Greek)
Other Forms FormsDespoene, Despoena
Meaning & History
Means “lady, queen, mistress (of a household)” in Greek, derived from Proto-Indo-European *dems-pota- (“house-powerful”). This was an epithet or title of the Greek goddesses Persephone, Artemis and Hekate, and the common name of a Greek fertility goddess who was worshipped alongside her mother Demeter in an Arcadian mystery-cult; her true name was revealed only to the initiates. See Despoina.