The word "Christened" is often spelled incorrectly as "chrismened". The correct spelling is pronounced /ˈkrɪs(ə)nd/, with the stress on the second syllable. The word is derived from the Old English word "crístnian", which means to baptize or initiate into Christianity. The "-en" ending is typical of past participles in English, indicating that the action was completed in the past. "Christened" is often used in reference to a baby being baptized in the Christian faith.
Christened is a verb that refers to the act of formally naming and initiating a person into a specific religious faith or community through a baptism ceremony. Derived from the word "Christen," it primarily holds significance within Christian traditions, particularly in the context of Christianity's origin and practice of baptizing believers. However, the term has also been adopted and adapted in different religious traditions, each with their specific rituals and customs.
In a Christian context, christening is a solemn rite that signifies a person's acceptance into the faith, usually occurring in infancy or early childhood. During this ceremony, water is applied to the person's head or they are fully immersed in water, symbolizing purification and rebirth according to Christian beliefs. Additionally, the ceremony often involves prayers, scripture readings, and anointing with oil or holy water.
Beyond its religious context, "christened" can also be used metaphorically to describe the act of officially naming or dedicating something, such as a ship, building, or event, with a specific name, often invoking a sense of formality and importance.
Overall, christened encompasses the meaning of officially naming, dedicating, and initiating someone into a religious community or formally bestowing a name or title upon a person, object, or event.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "christened" comes from the Middle English term "christnen" or "crisnen", which was derived from the Old English word "crīs(i)nan". This Old English term, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix "crīs" (meaning "Christ") and the verb "nian" (meaning "to make" or "to give"). Therefore, "christened" essentially means "to make or give the name of Christ" or "to administer the Christian sacrament of baptism".