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.

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

• Minerva vs. Athena

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Athena

Agency sources told ProPublica that the rolls of New Jersey and Pennsylvania were searched using the Athena Toolbox.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Tom Hodge, an HSI data analyst at the meeting, proposed running the voter information through the Athena Toolbox, an analytical platform developed by the Sandia National Laboratories that had access to all of HSI’s databases.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

What followed was a spirited conversation about Nolan’s representation of Athena, played by Zendaya.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

I dig that choice — it’s bold — yet still think he flubs it by not replacing the magical powers of Charlize Theron’s Calypso and Zendaya’s Athena with, say, a personality.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Athena well-pleased left Olympus and glided down to Ithaca.

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