Pamela

See also: pamela

English

Etymology

Invented by Sir Philip Sidney for his pastoral poem Arcadia (c 1593). Seemingly created from scratch[1]; some imagine an analysis as Ancient Greek πᾶς (pâs, “all”) + μέλι (méli, “honey”) but there is no evidence that this was intended.

Proper noun

Pamela

  1. A female given name
    • 1773 Henry Fielding, The History and Adventures of Joseph Andrews, page 259:
      They lived about thirty miles from the Squire; and she told me, that I might be sure to find her out by one circumstance; for that they had a daughter with a very strange name, Pamĕla, or Pamēla; some pronounced it one way, and some the other.
    • 1786 Samuel Richardson, Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, page 416:
      - But, Pamela, did you say? - A queer sort of name! - I've heard of it somewhere! - Is it a Christian or a Pagan name? - Linsey-woolsey - half one, half t'other - like thy girl - Ha, ha, ha.'

References
  1. Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, 2006
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