Autolycus

[ aw-tol-i-kuhs ]

/ ɔˈtɒl ɪ kəs /

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noun

Classical Mythology. a thief, the son of Hermes and Chione, and the grandfather of Odysseus. He possessed the power of changing the shape of whatever he stole and of making it and himself invisible.

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Words nearby Autolycus

autolithography, autoloader, autoloading, autologous, autologous graft, Autolycus, autolysate, autolyse, autolysin, autolysis, autolytic enzyme

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Autolycus in a sentence

A comic adventure told of Hermes may not have in it any more of myth than a similar story told of Autolycus.
Literature in the Elementary School|Porter Lander MacClintock
Then came the ghost of my dead mother Anticlea, daughter to Autolycus.
The Odyssey|Homer
Autolycus is also said to have instructed Heracles in the art of wrestling, and to have taken part in the Argonautic expedition.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various
Sisyphus accordingly burnt his name into the hoofs of his cattle, and, during a visit to Autolycus, recognized his property.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various

A happy chance brings me across your path, just when I am about to entertain Autolycus and his father at a feast.
The Symposium|Xenophon

British Dictionary definitions for Autolycus (1 of 2)

Autolycus¹

/ (ɔːˈtɒlɪkəs) /

noun

a crater in the NW quadrant of the moon about 38 km in diameter and 3000 m deep

British Dictionary definitions for Autolycus (2 of 2)

Autolycus²

/ (ɔːˈtɒlɪkəs) /

noun

Greek myth a thief who stole cattle from his neighbour Sisyphus and prevented him from recognizing them by making them invisible

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