Pantheon

¹

[ pan-thee-on, -uhnor, especially British, pan-thee-uhn ]

noun

1. a domed circular temple at Rome, erected a.d. 120–124 by Hadrian, used as a church since a.d.
2. (lowercase) a public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustrious dead of a nation.
3. (lowercase) the place of the heroes or idols of any group, individual, movement, party, etc., or the heroes or idols themselves:

   to earn a place in the pantheon of American literature.

4. (lowercase) a temple dedicated to all the gods.
5. (lowercase) the gods of a particular mythology considered collectively.

Panthéon

²

[ pahn-tey-awn ]

noun

1. a national monument in Paris, France, used as a sepulcher for eminent French persons, begun in 1764 by Soufflot as the church of Ste. Geneviève and secularized in 1885.

Pantheon

¹

/ ˈpænθɪən; pænˈθiːən /

noun

1. a circular temple in Rome dedicated to all the gods, built by Agrippa in 27 bc , rebuilt by Hadrian 120–24 ad , and used since 609 ad as a Christian church

pantheon

²

/ pænˈθiːən; ˈpænθɪən /

noun

1. (esp in ancient Greece or Rome) a temple to all the gods
2. all the gods collectively of a religion
3. a monument or building commemorating a nation's dead heroes

Other Words From

• panthe·onic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pantheon¹

1375–1425; late Middle English panteon < Latin Panthēon < Greek Pántheion, noun use of neuter of pántheios of all gods, equivalent to pan- pan- + the ( ós ) god + -ios adj. suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pantheon¹

C14: via Latin from Greek Pantheion, from pan- + -theios divine, from theos god

Example Sentences

William Henry Cosby occupies a permanent place in the American pantheon.

From The Daily Beast

Biological variation was celebrated in the pantheon of the gods.

From The Daily Beast

Carrara marble has been quarried as far back as Roman times and was used by emperors for massive monuments like the Rome Pantheon.

From The Daily Beast

But this exalted place in the bar pantheon was not easily won.

From The Daily Beast

The pantheon of Sediuk pranks ranges from sneakily clever to blatantly rude.

From The Daily Beast

When the war began, there stood on Cote Joyeuse an imposing mansion of red brick, shaped like the Pantheon.

From Project Gutenberg

We must not, however, infer that there was a large Egyptian element in the Canaanitish Pantheon.

From Project Gutenberg

These were the twelve Olympian divinities, or greater gods; but they represent only a small part of the Grecian Pantheon.

From Project Gutenberg

Harwood had long since exhausted the list of Hoosier statesmen selected for niches in the "Courier's" pantheon.

From Project Gutenberg

As Tezcatlipoca and under various other titles he ever after ranked among the highest in the pantheon of Nahua divinities.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• chapel
• church
• house
• mosque
• pagoda
• place of worship
• sanctuary
• shrine
• synagogue