My given name is Andrei, which isn’t correctly pronounced by English tongues, but I’ve been letting it slide ever since my family moved to Canada in 1995, ‘cuz I’m a nice guy. So say it how you will, but know that it’s the Slavic form of the Greek name Ἀνδρέας (Andreas), itself derived from ἀνδρεῖος (andreîos), which means stuff like: manly, masculine, strong, brave, courageous, and stubborn. Many people, both young and old, have amused themselves by calling me Andrea, which is ironically considered a woman’s name ’round these parts. Presumably, they expect me to feel hurt that I’m being associated with women, a grim catastrophe indeed, although andreîos can be liberally applied to women, deeds, animals, and objects. The root of andreîos is ἀνήρ or anḗr, referring to a man, husband, or human being, and owes its existence to the Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗr, meaning man, power, force or vital energy.