Modern variant of Katherine. Pure. Pure, clear. Form of the Latin Katharina, from the Greek Aikaterina. Pure. Dear, beloved. From the feminine form of Italian 'cara' or the Latin 'carus'. Pure, clear. Form of the Latin 'Katharina', from the Greek Aikaterina'. It was borne by a number of saints, including St Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th century martyr who suffered torture on a spiked wheel.