Adonis

[ uh-don-is, uh-doh-nis ]
/ əˈdɒn ɪs, əˈdoʊ nɪs /
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noun

Classical Mythology. a youth slain by a wild boar but permitted by Zeus to pass four months every year in the lower world with Persephone, four with Aphrodite, and four wherever he chose.
a very handsome young man.

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a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
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Origin of Adonis

1615–25 for def. 2

Words nearby Adonis

Adolf, Doll's House, A, Adonai, Adonic, Adonijah, Adonis, Adon Olam, adopt, adoptable, adopted, adoptee
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Example sentences from the Web for Adonis

British Dictionary definitions for Adonis

Adonis
/ (əˈdəʊnɪs) /

noun

Greek myth a handsome youth loved by Aphrodite. Killed by a wild boar, he was believed to spend part of the year in the underworld and part on earth, symbolizing the vegetative cycle
a handsome young man

Word Origin for Adonis

C16: from Latin, via Greek Adōnis from Phoenician adōni my lord, a title of the god Tammuz; related to Hebrew Adonai
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Adonis

Adonis

In classical mythology, an extremely beautiful boy who was loved by Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

notes for Adonis

By extension, an “Adonis” is any handsome young man.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.