dido

¹

[ dahy-doh ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural di·dos, di·does.

1. a mischievous trick; prank; antic.
2. a bauble or trifle.

Dido

²

[ dahy-doh ]

noun

1. Phoenician Elissa. Classical Mythology. a queen of Carthage who killed herself when abandoned by Aeneas.
2. a female given name.

Dido

¹

/ ˈdaɪdəʊ /

noun

1. classical myth a princess of Tyre who founded Carthage and became its queen. Virgil tells of her suicide when abandoned by her lover Aeneas

dido

²

/ ˈdaɪdəʊ /

noun

1. an antic; prank; trick

Dido

1. In Roman mythology , the founder and queen of Carthage in north Africa . She committed suicide in grief over the departure of her lover, the hero Aeneas .

Notes

Dido is an image of the unhappy or unrequited lover.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dido¹

First recorded in 1800–10; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of dido¹

C19: originally US: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

But Dido got to the loot first, and absconded with it to North Africa, where she set up her kingdom.

From The Daily Beast

No naïf or innocent, Dido knows plenty about ambition, and how heartless it can make a (hu)man.

From The Daily Beast

The critic, in censuring poor Dido and her sister, totally forgets their very reasonable ground of provocation.

From Project Gutenberg

In utter misery Dido, on pretext of burning all Æneas' love-gifts, prepares a pyre and summons a sorceress.

From Project Gutenberg

Dido sends Anna with a last appeal to Æneas, who nevertheless, in spite of struggles, obeys the gods (469-513).

From Project Gutenberg

Venus feigns assent to Juno's proposal that Æneas shall marry Dido and be king of Carthage.

From Project Gutenberg

He fled to Dido's father Belus, and with the help of the latter founded a new kingdom in Cyprus.

From Project Gutenberg