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• Argus
  Argus

  noun

  a giant with 100 eyes, set to guard the heifer Io: his eyes were transferred after his death to the peacock's tail.
• argus
  argus

  noun

  any of various brown butterflies, esp the Scotch argus ( Erebia aethiops ) found on moorland and in forests up to a height of 2000 m

Argus

American  

[ahr-guhs] / ˈɑr gəs /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a giant with 100 eyes, set to guard the heifer Io: his eyes were transferred after his death to the peacock's tail.

2. a son of Phrixus and builder of the Argo.

3. (in theOdyssey ) Odysseus' faithful dog, who recognized his master after twenty years and immediately died.

4. any observant or vigilant person; a watchful guardian.

5. (lowercase) Also argus pheasant any of several brilliantly marked Malayan pheasants of the Argusianus or Rheinardia genera.

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argus ¹ British  

/ ˈɑːɡəs /

noun

1. any of various brown butterflies, esp the Scotch argus ( Erebia aethiops ) found on moorland and in forests up to a height of 2000 m

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Argus ² British  

/ ˈɑːɡəs /

noun

1. Greek myth a giant with a hundred eyes who was made guardian of the heifer Io. After he was killed by Hermes his eyes were transferred to the peacock's tail

2. a vigilant person; guardian

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Argus Cultural  

1. A creature in classical mythology who had a hundred eyes. Hera set him to watch over Io, a girl who had been seduced by Zeus and then turned into a cow; with Argus on guard, Zeus could not come to rescue Io, for only some of Argus' eyes would be closed in sleep at any one time. Hermes, working on Zeus' behalf, played music that put all the eyes to sleep and then killed Argus. Hera put his eyes in the tail of the peacock.

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Etymology

Origin of Argus

< Latin < Greek Árgos, derivative of argós bright, shining

Example Sentences

"Want of sleep, that's all, Mrs. Sampson," he answered, unfolding the ARGUS.

From The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Hume, Fergus

He drank his coffee, but pushed away the food which was before him; and looked through the ARGUS, for the latest report about the murder case.

From The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Hume, Fergus

But nothing could be heard of the missing lad; and at the suggestion of Henry Ocock he put an advertisement in the ARGUS, offering a substantial reward for news of Johnny alive or dead.

From Australia Felix by Richardson, Henry Handel

When Dr. Franklin, our ARGUS, then in London, discovered the designs of minister North, he exerted himself to point that purblind gentleman to the horrible gulf that was yawning at his feet.

From The Life of Benjamin Franklin With Many Choice Anecdotes and admirable sayings of this great man never before published by any of his biographers by Weems, Mason Locke