entry
christos
/ˈkrɪstɒs/Latin accusative plural of christus; anointed ones
From Greek christos (anointed).
Word Ancestry
Picture a Greek priest lifting a small flask of perfumed oil and touching it to someone’s forehead: that person has been made khristós, literally “anointed.” The word began as an adjective, not a personal name, and entered Latin as Christus—a title meaning “the Anointed One.” By the first century CE, Latin-speaking Christians were using Christus as a name and title for Jesus, while Greek-speaking communities retained the form christós. The same oily ritual survives in the English word “chrism,” and “Christian” began as a label for people associated with Christ. In the supplied slang sources, “Christos” is also used crudely as a stereotype for a sexually confident Greek man—but that modern usage is unrelated to the word’s religious history; the ancient image to remember is oil, not anatomy.
The Story
Picture a Greek priest lifting a small flask of perfumed oil and touching it to someone’s forehead: that person has been made khristós, literally “anointed.” The word began as an adjective, not a personal name, and entered Latin as Christus—a title meaning “the Anointed One.” By the first century CE, Latin-speaking Christians were using Christus as a name and title for Jesus, while Greek-speaking communities retained the form christós. The same oily ritual survives in the English word “chrism,” and “Christian” began as a label for people associated with Christ. In the supplied slang sources, “Christos” is also used crudely as a stereotype for a sexually confident Greek man—but that modern usage is unrelated to the word’s religious history; the ancient image to remember is oil, not anatomy.
Modern Usage
A crude Urban Dictionary stereotype for a sexually aggressive or well-endowed Greek man.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries for Christos
Kin & Kindred
From 'christos'·anointed, consecrated with oil
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary