Alcathoe

al-KATH-o-ee

Greek

"strong, swift, and nimble"

Alcathoe Origin and Meaning

The name Alcathoe is a girl's name meaning "strong, swift, and nimble".

In Greek mythology, Alcathoe is one of the Minyades, three sisters who appear in a story about the dangers of not worshipping Dionysius. When the sisters refused to join in with the revelry and celebrations of the god, Dionysius appeared to them as a bull, a lion, and a panther, eventually driving the sisters to madness. They roamed the mountains in a destructive frenzy until Hermes took pity on them and turned them into bats.

Derived from the Greek elements alke meaning "strength" and thoos meaning "swift", the name is also used for a species of bat, the Myotis alcathoe, better known as the Alcathoe bat. This could make it an unexpected middle name option for a baby born around Halloween (or International Bat Appreciation Day, on April 17).

Alcathous is the masculine form of the name.