Theotokos
Etymology
Etymology
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Theotokos is an [adjectival compound](/wiki/Bahuvrihi "Bahuvrihi") of two Greek words Θεός "God" and τόκος "childbirth, parturition; offspring". A close paraphrase would be "\[she] whose offspring is God" or "\[she] who gave birth to one who was God".J.F. Bethune\-Baker, *Nestorius and His Teachings: A Fresh Examination of the Evidence* (1998\), [p. 58](https://books.google.com/books?id=WHFKAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA58) ("who gave birth to one who was God", "whose child was God").  The usual English translation is simply "Mother of God"; Latin uses *Deipara* or .

The [Church Slavonic](/wiki/Church_Slavonic_language "Church Slavonic language") translation is *Bogoroditsa* (Russian/Serbian/Bulgarian ). The full title of Mary in Slavic Orthodox tradition is  (Russian ), from Greek  "Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and [Ever\-Virgin](/wiki/Perpetual_virginity_of_Mary "Perpetual virginity of Mary") Mary". German has the translation *Gottesgebärerin* (lit. "bearer of God"). In [Arabic](/wiki/Arabic "Arabic"), there are two main terms which are widely used at the general level, first one is: "*Walidatu\-liilahi"* () and "Ùmmu\-'llahi" or "Ùmmu\-l'iilahi" ([Arabic](/wiki/Arabic_language "Arabic language"): أُمُّ ٱللهِ or أُمُّ ٱلْإِلَـٰهِ, [lit.](/wiki/Literal_translation "Literal translation")'Mother of God').

"Mother of God" is the literal translation of a distinct title in Greek, Μήτηρ τοῦ Θεοῦ (translit. *Mētēr tou Theou*), a term which has an established usage of its own in traditional Orthodox and Catholic theological writing, hymnography, and iconography.
The [Second Vatican Council](/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council "Second Vatican Council") stated: "Clearly from earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honoured under the title of Mother of God." [Pope Paul VI, *Lumen gentium*, 66](https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html)
In an abbreviated form,  (), it often is found on Eastern icons, where it is used to identify Mary. The Russian term is  (also ).[Богоматерь\-Богородица](https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/ЭСБЕ/Богоматерь-Богородица) [Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона](/wiki/Brockhaus_and_Efron_Encyclopedic_Dictionary "Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary") : в 86 т. (82 т. и 4 доп.). — СПб., 1890—1907\.

Variant forms are the compounds
* Θεομήτωρ: 
* Μητρόθεος: 
* Θεογεννήτωρ:  and
* Θεοκυήτωρ: , which are found in patristic and liturgical texts.*On Martyrs: Speech on [Simeon](/wiki/Simeon_%28Gospel_of_Luke%29 "Simeon (Gospel of Luke)"), [Anne](/wiki/Saint_Anne "Saint Anne"), at the day of the [Presentation](/wiki/Presentation_of_Jesus_at_the_Temple "Presentation of Jesus at the Temple")*, and the Holy Theotokos.  (... \[80] περιφανῶς ἡ ἱερὰ **θεομήτωρ** ἐξετέλει ... \[109] ἐκφαντικώτατά σε τὴν **θεοτόκον** προσημαίνουσαν ...) (... πῶς δῆ ἡ **μητρόθεος** ...)
[thumb\|Byzantine mosaic of the enthroned Theotokos, [Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo](/wiki/Basilica_of_Sant%27Apollinare_Nuovo "Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo"), Ravenna, ca. AD 560](/wiki/File:Mary%2C_mother_of_Jesus_on_the_throne.jpg "Mary, mother of Jesus on the throne.jpg")
The theological dispute over the term concerned the term Θεός "God" vs. Χριστός "[Christ](/wiki/Christ_%28title%29 "Christ (title)")", and not τόκος (*genitrix*, "bearer") vs. μήτηρ (*mater*, "mother"), and the two terms have been used as synonyms throughout Christian tradition. Both terms are known to have existed alongside one another since the early church, but it has been argued, even in modern times, that the term "Mother of God" is unduly suggestive of Godhead having its origin in Mary, imparting to Mary the role of a [Mother Goddess](/wiki/Mother_Goddess "Mother Goddess"). But this is an exact reiteration of the objection by [Nestorius](/wiki/Nestorius "Nestorius"), resolved in the 5th century, to the effect that the term "Mother" expresses exactly the relation of Mary to the [incarnate](/wiki/Incarnation_%28Christianity%29 "Incarnation (Christianity)") Son ascribed to Mary in Christian theology.Ph. Schaff, H Wace (eds.), *Early Church Fathers*, *Nicene and Ante\-Nicene Fathers*, Ser. II, Vol. XIV, ["Excursus on the Word Θεοτόκος"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170511212317/http://st-takla.org/books/en/ecf/214/2140263.html)


What does the title 'Mother of God' mean in the context of Theotokos?