Editing Leto (section)

== Etymology ==
[[File:Hieros Gamos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Relief from the 2nd century, staging the marriage of Zeus and Leto,  Hierapolis Museum.]]

'Leto' is [[Attic Greek]]; in the [[Ancient Greek dialects#Provenance|Doric Greek]] dialect, spoken in [[Sparta]] and the [[Laconia|surrounding areas]] her name was spelled Lato with an alpha instead ({{langx|grc|Λατώ|Latṓ}}; {{IPA|el|laːtɔ̌ː|pron}}).{{sfnp|Liddell|Scott|1940|loc=s.v. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=*lhtw / {{math|Λητώ}}]}}

There are several explanations for the origin of the goddess and the meaning of her name. Older sources speculated that the name is related to the Greek {{math|λήθη}} ''lḗthē'' ([[lethe]], [[Eternal oblivion|oblivion]]) and {{math|λωτός}} ''[[Lotus-eaters|lotus]]'' (the fruit that brings oblivion to those who eat it). It would thus mean "the hidden one".<ref>{{cite dictionary |author-link=William Smith (lexicographer) |author=Smith, W. |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DL%3Aentry+group%3D12%3Aentry%3Dleto-bio-1 |title=''s.v.'' Leto |website=Perseus |publisher=[[Tufts University]]}}</ref>

In 20th&nbsp;century sources ''Leto'' is traditionally derived from [[Lycian language|Lycian]] ''lada'', "wife", as her earliest cult was centered in [[Lycia]]. [[Lycian language|Lycian]] ''lada'' may also be the origin of the Greek name {{math|Λήδα}} ''Leda''. Other scholars ([[Paul Kretschmer|Kretschmer]], [[Erich Bethe|Bethe]], [[Pierre Chantraine|Chantraine]], and [[Robert S. P. Beekes|Beekes]]) have suggested a [[pre-Greek]] origin.<ref name=robb>{{cite dictionary |first=R.S.P. |last=Beekes |author-link=Robert S. P. Beekes |year=2009 |title= {{lang|grc|Λητώ}} |dictionary=Etymological Dictionary of Greek |publisher=Brill |pages=855, 858–859}}</ref>

In [[Mycenaean Greek]] her name has been attested through the form ''Latios'', meaning "son of Leto" or "related to Leto" ([[Linear B]]: {{lang|gmy|{{script|Linb|𐀨𐀴𐀍}}}}, ''ra-ti-jo''),<ref name=robb/><ref>{{cite web |title=ra-ti-jo  |website=palaeolexicon.com |url=http://www.palaeolexicon.com/Word/Show/26496/ |access-date=16 February 2023}}</ref> and ''Lato'' (Linear B: {{lang|gmy|{{script|Linb|𐀨𐀵}}}}, ''ra-to'').<ref>{{cite web |title=ra-to |website=palaeolexicon.com  |url=http://www.palaeolexicon.com/Word/Show/16912/ |access-date=16 February 2023}}</ref>{{sfnp|West|1995|p=99}}