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Cleopatra

American  
[klee-uh-pa-truh, -pah-, -pey-] / ˌkli əˈpæ trə, -ˈpɑ-, -ˈpeɪ- /

noun

  1. 69–30 b.c., queen of Egypt 51–49, 48–30.

  2. a female given name: from Greek words meaning “fame” and “father.”


Cleopatra 1 British  
/ -ˈpɑː-, ˌkliːəˈpætrə /

noun

  1. ?69–30 bc , queen of Egypt (51–30), renowned for her beauty: the mistress of Julius Caesar and later of Mark Antony. She killed herself with an asp to avoid capture by Octavian (Augustus)

"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

cleopatra 2 British  
/ -ˈpɑː-, ˌkliːəˈpætrə /

noun

  1. a yellow butterfly, Gonepteryx cleopatra, the male of which has its wings flushed with orange

"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

Cleopatra Cultural  
  1. A queen of Egypt (see also Egypt) in the first century b.c., famous for her beauty, charm, and luxurious living. She lived for some time in Rome with Julius Caesar. For several years after Caesar was assassinated, she lived in Egypt with the Roman politician Mark Antony. Antony killed himself on hearing a false report that she was dead. After Antony's death, Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing an asp, a poisonous snake, to bite her.


Discover More

The play Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare, dramatizes Cleopatra's affair with Antony and her suicide.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"POV: You wake up in Pompeii on eruption day" and "POV: You wake up as Queen Cleopatra" are some of his most popular titles, taking viewers through a 30-second-long fictionalised day in ancient history.

From BBC

“What happened after Cleopatra’s Needle got to Staten Island? How did Gorringe get it here, in the middle of Central Park?”

From Literature

Fun facts about Cleopatra: Although associated in the public mind with ancient Egypt, she lived closer to our time than to the building of the pyramids of Giza.

From The Wall Street Journal

Marsh split her time between the U.S. and London during the 1960s, with roles in the film “Cleopatra,” and TV shows such as “I Spy,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Doctor Who” and “The Informer.”

From Los Angeles Times

Marsh also had roles in Hollywood films including Cleopatra, Willow and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy and on TV in Doctor Who.

From BBC