Daedalus

[ ded-l-uh s or, esp. British, deed-l-uh s ]

/ ˈdɛd l əs or, esp. British, ˈdid l əs /

noun Classical Mythology.

an Athenian architect who built the labyrinth for Minos and made wings for himself and his son Icarus to escape from Crete.

Origin of Daedalus

< Latin < Greek Daídalos; see daedal

Related formsDae·da·li·an, Dae·da·le·an

[dih-dey-lee-uh n, -deyl-yuh n] /dɪˈdeɪ li ən, -ˈdeɪl yən/, Dae·dal·ic

[dih-dal-ik] /dɪˈdæl ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for daedalus

That Daedalus was a very cunning workman; but of all his artful contrivances, this labyrinth is the most wondrous.
Tanglewood Tales|Nathaniel Hawthorne
The partridge flies low because Daedalus (who had seen his son Icarus perish through a lofty flight) was changed into a partridge.
Myth, Ritual And Religion, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Andrew Lang
On the outer wall of G is Daedalus, making wings for himself and Icarus.
Pompeii, Its Life and Art|August Mau
Daedalus essayed the empty air with wings not permitted to man.
The Works of Horace|Horace

Among all those mortals who grew so wise that they learned the secrets of the gods, none was more cunning than Daedalus.
Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew|Josephine Preston Peabody

British Dictionary definitions for daedalus

Daedalus

/ (ˈdiːdələs) /

noun

Greek myth an Athenian architect and inventor who built the labyrinth for Minos on Crete and fashioned wings for himself and his son Icarus to flee the island

Derived FormsDaedalian or Daedalean (dɪˈdeɪlɪən) or Daedalic (dɪˈdælɪk), adjective

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

Word Origin and History for daedalus

Daedalus

father of Icarus in Greek mythology, builder of the Cretan labyrinth, from Greek Daidalos, literally "the cunning worker," from daidallein "to work artfully."

Culture definitions for daedalus

Daedalus

[ (deed-uh-luhs) ]

In classical mythology, an ingenious inventor, designer of the Labyrinth, and one of the few to escape from it. He was the father of Icarus.

Note

Daedalus is a symbol of inventiveness and craftsmanship.