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Hippocrates

/hɪˈpɒkrətiːz/

Ancient Greek physician’s name meaning horse-power

From Greek hippo- (horse).

noun
hippo-
Ancient Greek
ἵππος (híppos)
horse
Ancient Greek compound form
ἱππο- (hippo-)
horse-, used as the first element of compounds
-crates
Ancient Greek
κράτος (krátos)
strength, power, rule
Ancient Greek compound form
-κρατής (-kratēs)
ruling, possessing power
Combined
Ἱπποκράτης (Hippokrátēs)
A Greek personal name combining “horse” with “power” or “rule”; literally, “horse-powerful” or “horse-ruler.”
Classical Greek
Ἱπποκράτης (Hippokrátēs)
Name of Hippocrates of Kos, the celebrated fifth-century BCE physician
Latin
Hippocrates
Latinized form of the Greek name
English
Hippocrates
Proper name associated with the traditional “Father of Medicine”
Modern English
Hippocrates
“

Picture a Greek parent in the classical period naming a child Hippokrates: not after medicine, but after a striking image of horse-power and command. The name joins híppos, “horse,” with krátos, “strength” or “rule”—the same power-bearing element that appears in “democrat” and “aristocrat.” Hippocrates of Kos, who lived around 460–370 BCE, later made the name famous by turning careful observation and prognosis into cornerstones of medical practice. The name itself therefore predates the medical legacy; it was a personal name long before it became a monument to clinical reasoning. And yes, the internet occasionally turns “Hippocrates” into a joke or misspelling of “hypocrite”—a reminder that one ancient Greek name now sits only a few letters away from an accusation of false virtue.

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