🔼The name Parmenas: Summary
- Meaning
- Near-Stayer
- Etymology
- From παραμενω (parameno), to stay with or by someone's side, from (1) παρα (para), near, and (2) μενω (meno), to remain.
🔼The name Parmenas in the Bible
The name Parmenas occurs only once in the Bible. He is mentioned as one of the seven deacons who were appointed to make sure that the widows among the Hellenistic Jews were not skipped at chow time (Acts 6:5).
How Parmenas made himself useful as a deacon isn't told in the Bible, but tradition holds that he was martyred in 98 AD (during Trajan's reign) at Philippi.
🔼Etymology of the name Parmenas
The name Parmenas comes from the verb παραμενω (parameno), meaning to stay with or by someone's side. This word in turn consists of two parts, the first of which being the familiar particle παρα (para), meaning near:
παρα
The particle and prefix παρα (para) means on the side of or next to. It expresses nearness, and emphasizes proximity when there's movement toward, or separation when there's movement away from the point or condition referred to.
The second part of our name comes from the verb μενω (meno), meaning to remain or stay:
μενω
The verb μενω (meno) means to stay, i.e. to stay in some location or even with some teaching. The noun μονη (mone), describes a "place of remaining," i.e. a home.
🔼Parmenas meaning
The graceful name Parmenas expresses fidelity and steadfastness but our English language has no real synonym for it. It literally means something like Near-Stayer, or paraphrased: Guy Close By.