Meaning and Origin
What does the name Io mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Io
User Submitted Origins
Greek
73%
English
9%
American
9%
Japanese
9%
User Submitted Meanings
- A submission from Virginia, U.S. says the name Io means "Jupiter's moon" and is of Greek origin.
- According to a user from Minnesota, U.S., the name Io is of Greek origin and means "Moon of Jupiter, moon named after greek mythology where Zeus (aka Jupiter) fell in love with a princess (Io)".
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
noun I"o
An exclamation of joy or triumph; -- often interjectional.
Etymology: L.; cf. Gr. "iw`
noun I"o
Senses
- In Greek mythology, the beautiful daughter of Inachus, king of Argos, Greece, who was changed by Hera (Juno), in a fit of jealousy, into a white heifer, and placed under the watch of Argus of the hundred eyes. When Argus was killed by Hermes at the command of Zeus, the heifer was maddened by a terrible gadfly sent by Hera, and wandered about until she arrived in Egypt. There she recovered her original shape, and bore Epaphus to Zeus. Epaphus became the ancestor of Ægyptus, Damaus, Cepheus, and Phineus. She was identified by the Egyptians with Isis. According to another legend, Io was carried off by Phoenician traders who landed in Argos. The myth is generally explained to be Aah or the moon wandering in the starry skies, symbolized by the hundred-eyed Argus; her transformation into a horned heifer representing the crescent moon."Greek mythology, too, knew her [Astarte] as Iô and Europa, and she was fitly symbolised by the cow whose horns resemble the supine lunar crescent as seen in the south." [Seyce (Anc. Empires, p. 195).]
Etymology: Gr. 'Iw`
Other Dictionary Sources
- The closest of Jupiter's moons; has active volcanoes
- (Greek mythology) a maiden seduced by Zeus; when Hera was about to discover them together Zeus turned her into a white heifer
Wiktionary
Modern Latin, from Ancient Greek ἰώ (iṓ, “Io”).
- A type of moth, the io moth.
From Latin; compare Ancient Greek ἰώ (iṓ, “oh!”).
io was also found in the following language(s): Aromanian, Chuukese, Dutch, Esperanto, Interlingua, Istro-Romanian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Neapolitan, and Old High German