Meaning & History
Possibly from χαρωπός (charopós) meaning "keen gaze" or "fierce gaze", the same root that Charon is sometimes said to come from. If so, it’s probably derived from either χαράσσω (charasso) "to sharpen; to scratch, engrave" or χάραξ (charax), a type of pointed stake, combined with οψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". Alternatively, χαρωπός (charopós) bears a strong resemblance to a modern Greek word meaning "cheerful, merry".This was the name of an Amazon warrior in Ancient Greek mythology.