Demosthenes

[ dih-mos-thuh-neez ]

noun
  1. 384?–322 b.c., Athenian statesman and orator.

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British Dictionary definitions for Demosthenes

Demosthenes

/ (dɪˈmɒsθəˌniːz) /


noun
  1. 384–322 bc, Athenian statesman, orator, and lifelong opponent of the power of Macedonia over Greece

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

Cultural definitions for Demosthenes

Demosthenes

[ (di-mos-thuh-neez) ]


The greatest orator of ancient Greece. Demosthenes is said to have overcome a childhood stutter by forcing himself to speak with pebbles in his mouth. He delivered speeches called Philippics attacking King Philip of Macedon, who was an enemy of Demosthenes' city of Athens (see also Athens).

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.