Timotheus

Timotheus is the Latinized form of the Greek name Timotheos, composed of the elements time, meaning honour or respect, and theos, meaning god, giving the overall sense of one who honours God. The name was borne by a companion and fellow missionary of the apostle Paul, addressed in two New Testament epistles, which secured its widespread use in early Christian communities. It entered Latin ecclesiastical texts as Timotheus and passed into German and Dutch usage as a learned, formal variant alongside the more common vernacular form Timothy. Related forms include Timothée in French and Timoteo in Italian and Spanish.