Argonaut
Americannoun
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Classical Mythology. a member of the band of men who sailed to Colchis with Jason in the ship Argo in search of the Golden Fleece.
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(sometimes lowercase) a person in quest of something dangerous but rewarding; adventurer.
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a person who moved to California during the gold rush of 1849.
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(lowercase) paper nautilus.
noun
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Greek myth one of the heroes who sailed with Jason in quest of the Golden Fleece
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a person who took part in the Californian gold rush of 1849
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another name for the paper nautilus
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Argonaut
< Latin Argonauta < Greek Argonaútēs crewman of the ship Argo; see nautical
Explanation
An argonaut is someone who sets off on daring quest. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends are argonauts in search of a brain, a heart, courage, and home. The origin of argonaut is an ancient Greek myth about a group of heroes who embarked on a quest to find the sacred Golden Fleece. They were called the Argonauts, or "sailors of the Argo (ship)," from Argo, "the swift," and nautēs, "sailor." If you set off on an adventure in pursuit of a goal, riding your bike for miles to raise money for charity, or scuba diving in lakes seeking sunken treasure, you're an argonaut too.
Vocabulary lists containing argonaut
Reading: Literature - Mythology - Introductory
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Reading: Literature - Mythology - Middle School
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Ancient Greece: Mythology and Literature - Middle School
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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.
To investigate the problem, Sinibaldi and lead author Francisca Paiva, a physicist at Instituto Superior Técnico, developed a detailed computer model using the European Space Agency's Argonaut mission as a case study.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Beyond the aforementioned Seattle schools, there is Argonaut Diving in Edmonds, Exotic Aquatics on Bainbridge Island and more than a dozen other scuba diving shops in the Greater Seattle area.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2022
What has Mr. Argonaut earned from Spotify after all this trouble?
From Slate ● May 10, 2021
Among hotels within walking distance of Pier 33 is the Argonaut, near Pier 39.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2018
Percy wasn’t sure what the old seer had meant about Frank’s family history—his great-grandfather destroying camp, his Argonaut ancestor, and the bit about a burned stick controlling Frank’s life.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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.
