Exploring the Meaning of Damaris in Greek

Δάμαρις refers to Damaris, a named woman mentioned in the narrative of Acts. The name appears in connection with people who “joined with him and believed” in Athens.

Root and Related Words

The related verb δαμάζω (damazo), “to tame” (Strong’s G1150), is associated with Δάμαρις in the tradition reflected by Strong’s.

Occurrences

“But certain men joined with him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” (Acts 17:34)

Here Δάμαρις functions as a personal name that singles out one individual within a small, specifically identified group of respondents. The verse presents a sequence: “certain men” respond by joining and believing; among that company, the narrator names Dionysius, then adds “a woman named Damaris,” and finally includes “others with them.” Damaris’ name therefore does not stand alone but is framed as one element in a clustered report of reception—she is one of the people who align themselves with “him” and whose response is characterized by belief.

The wording “a woman named Damaris” is also a deliberate identification. In the same breath as a titled figure (“Dionysius the Areopagite”), the narrative gives Damaris a place in the record by naming her, rather than leaving her anonymous within “others.” The verse thereby uses her name to mark that the believing group includes both men and a woman, while also indicating that the group was larger than the two named individuals (“and others with them”). Δάμαρις contributes to the scene by providing a concrete, personal point of reference for the growth of this believing circle: belief is not described only in general terms but attached to particular people, one of whom is Damaris.

Sense and Usage

As used in Acts 17:34, Δάμαρις serves the basic function of a proper name: it identifies a specific person within the story. The definition “Damaris” is therefore not a descriptive label but a direct identification, anchoring the narrative in individual lives. The context also shows how a personal name can carry narrative weight without additional explanation. Even though the verse offers no further biography, it places Damaris in a relationship to the action (“joined with him and believed”) and to a community (“others with them”), so that her name becomes part of the account of a formed group rather than a passing detail.

The structure of the sentence underscores this. The phrase “among whom also” introduces examples within a wider set; Δάμαρις appears inside that “among whom” clause as one of the representative named members. In that way the name functions as an evidentiary marker within the author’s report: the author is not only asserting that there were believers, but also offering recognizable names within the group. Δάμαρις thus participates in a pattern of naming that adds specificity to the claim that some responded positively—Damaris is one of the people through whom the text locates belief in actual persons in a particular setting.

In addition, the expression “a woman named Damaris” gives her name a clear social placement in the verse. The identification as “a woman” is not incidental to the syntax; it is part of the designation itself, set beside “Dionysius the Areopagite.” The verse uses both forms of identification—title for one, gendered description plus name for the other—to show the variety within the group who believed. Δάμαρις, then, functions as a named representative of women within that response, while the closing phrase “and others with them” keeps the named pair from being mistaken as the entire company.

Imagery

The imagery carried by Δάμαρις in this passage is the imagery of being named within a gathered group: a woman identified in the midst of people who “joined with him and believed” (Acts 17:34). The name evokes a scene of association—individuals coming alongside someone and being counted among “others with them”—where one person’s response is made visible by being remembered by name.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).