Meaning and Origin
What does the name Vesta mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
User Submitted Origins
- [Rom. Myth] One of the great divinities of the ancient Romans, identical with the Greek Hestia. She was a virgin, and the goddess of the hearth; hence, also, of the fire on it, and the family round it.
- [Astron] An asteroid, or minor planet, discovered by Olbers in 1807.
- A wax friction match.
Etymology: L. Vesta, akin to Gr. "Esti`a Vesta, "esti`a the hearth of the house, and perhaps to Skr. ush to burn (see East), or perhaps to Skr. vas to dwell, and E. was
- The brightest asteroid but the fourth to be discovered
- (Roman mythology) goddess of the hearth and its fire whose flame was tended by vestal virgins; counterpart of Greek Hestia
From Middle English Vesta, from Latin Vesta, related to Ancient Greek ἑστία (hestía, “to dwell”) and Ἑστία (Hestía, “Hestia”), all from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-; see also Old High German and Old English wesan (“to be”), Gothic wisan (wisan), Sanskrit वसति (vasati, “abide dwell”).
Vesta itself came to mean chaste, pure, or virgin, based from this goddess.
- (Roman mythology) The virgin goddess of the hearth, fire, and the household, and therefore a deity of domestic life. The Roman counterpart of Hestia.
- A female given name from Latin in occasional use.
- (astronomy) 4 Vesta, the fourth asteroid discovered.
Vesta was also found in the following language(s): French, Latin, Middle English, Portuguese, and Serbo-Croatian