thespian
THESS-pee-uhn · noun
Origin
From Latin Thespis, itself from the name of Thespis, an Ancient Greek actor active in the 6th century BCE, plus the suffix -ian.
This is Curio: one word's origin story, every morning. No feed, no backlog.
One short email each morning. Free; stop anytime. See a sample →
Journey
The word began as the personal name of a single performer and, over time, widened into a general label for anyone who acts.
Related words
The name Thespis, from Greek Θέσπις, sits at the root of the word.