Athena

American  

[uh-thee-nuh] / əˈθi nə /

noun

1. Also called Pallas Athena.  Also called Pallas.  Also Athene the virgin deity of the ancient Greeks worshiped as the goddess of wisdom, fertility, the useful arts, and prudent warfare. At her birth she sprang forth fully armed from the head of her father, Zeus.

2. a first name.

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Athena British  

/ əˈθiːnɪ, əˈθiːnə /

noun

1. Also called: Pallas Athena.   Pallas.  Roman counterpart: Minerva.  Greek myth a virgin goddess of wisdom, practical skills, and prudent warfare. She was born, fully armed, from the head of Zeus

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Athena Cultural  

1. The Greek and Roman goddess of wisdom. She had an unusual birth, springing fully grown out of the forehead of her father, Zeus. Athena was one of the goddesses angered by the Judgment of Paris, a Trojan, and she therefore helped the Greeks in the ensuing Trojan War (see also Trojan War). Eventually, she became the protector of Odysseus on his journey home.

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Discover More

Athena was the guardian of the city of Athens (see also Athens), which was named in her honor.

Compare meaning

How does athena compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Minerva vs. Athena

Example Sentences

Macquarie said the ECSP, and specifically volumes to feed the Athena gas plant, had increasingly become dependent on exploration success.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

Intuitive Machines first made headlines sending two lunar landers to the moon, Odysseus and Athena.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Holland's partner in real life, Zendaya, plays the goddess Athena in the mythological movie, which also features Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Mia Goth as Melantho and Jimmy Gonzales as Cepheus.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

“I think we can all agree, particularly today, that landing on the moon is extremely hard,” Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said at a press conference after Athena landed.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

In the Iliad Hector is nobler by far than any of the heavenly beings, and Andromache infinitely to be preferred to Athena or Aphrodite.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton