Minerva
Americannoun
-
the ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts, identified with the Greek goddess Athena.
-
a woman of great wisdom.
-
a female given name.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Minerva
First recorded before 1000 Minerva for def. 1; 1780–85 Minerva for def. 2; from Latin Minerva, earlier Menerva, from unattested Meneswā, perhaps meaning “intelligent, wise (woman),” or “woman who measures (the phases of the moon)”
Compare meaning
How does minerva compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Minerva Gloria is docked at a wharf in the Mississippi Sound, not far from the US's vast oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
His most spectacular paintings are frescoes, physically part of the walls of the Strozzi Chapel in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence and the Carafa Chapel in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026
Two vessels, the Minerva Gloria and Searuby, were anchored at Bajo Grande on Thursday.
From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026
For three decades, Minerva Analytics has championed a simple principle: Stewardship should always reflect the investor’s voice—not ours, not a trade association’s and certainly not a politician’s.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
As it turns out, every dream Minerva had ever dreamed was in the language.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
