aegis
or e·gis
[ee-jis]
- Classical Mythology. the shield or breastplate of Zeus or Athena, bearing at its center the head of the Gorgon.
- protection; support: under the imperial aegis.
- sponsorship; auspices: a debate under the aegis of the League of Women Voters.
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Origin of aegis
1695–1705; < Latin < Greek aigís shield of Zeus or Athena, probably from aig- (stem of aíx goat) + -is noun suffix, from a type of shield made of goatskin
Synonyms
See more synonyms for aegis on Thesaurus.com3. patronage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for aegis
Contemporary Examples
Not every advice giver works under the aegis of an organization.
“Greenwald did come here under the aegis of [Dotcom],” says John Armstrong, political columnist for The New Zealand Herald.
Greenwald, Assange, and Snowden Join Forces with Kim Dotcom in New Zealand ElectionLennox Samuels
September 17, 2014
The biggest naval export program is the Aegis fire control system.
Tokyo also sent one of its Aegis destroyers to the Sea of Japan on April 3.
Japan Prepares to Shoot North Korean Missiles Out of the SkyAngela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein
April 10, 2014
Under the aegis of the World Trade Organization, companies could feel secure that they could sell their goods all over the globe.
Historical Examples
Will she refuse to protect with her aegis the most humble of her adorers?
Memoirs of the Comtesse du BarryEtienne Leon Lamothe-Langon
So now he felt secure, under the aegis of the Press, and the wing of the "Gosshawk."
Put Yourself in His PlaceCharles Reade
She is to have her piano and he is to write a book under her aegis.
TanteAnne Douglas Sedgwick
But he knew not at all the intent of Zeus who holds the aegis.
Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns, and HomericaHomer and Hesiod
All national and local elections since 1945 have been held under the aegis of the Democratic Front.
Area Handbook for AlbaniaEugene K. Keefe
aegis
sometimes US egis
- sponsorship or protection; auspices (esp in the phrase under the aegis of)
- Greek myth the shield of Zeus, often represented in art as a goatskin
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Word Origin
C18: from Latin, from Greek aigis shield of Zeus, perhaps related to aig-, stem of aix goat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for aegis
n.
"protection," 1793, from Latin aegis, from Greek Aigis, the name of the shield of Zeus, said by Herodotus to be related to aix (genitive aigos) "goat," from PIE *aig- "goat" (cf. Sanskrit ajah, Lithuanian ozys "he-goat"), as the shield was of goatskin. Athene's aigis was a short goat-skin cloak, covered with scales, set with a gorgon's head, and fringed with snakes. The exact use and purpose of it is not now clear.
The goatskin would be worn with the two forelegs tied in front of the wearer's breast, or possibly with the head passed through an opening made at the neck, by the removal of the animal's head. [F. Warre Cornish, ed., "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities," London, 1898]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper