ephebe

[ ih-feeb, ef-eeb ]
/ ɪˈfib, ˈɛf ib /

noun

a young man, especially an ephebus.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ephebe

1690–1700; < Latin ephēbus < Greek éphēbos, equivalent to ep- ep- + -hēbos, derivative of hḗbē manhood

OTHER WORDS FROM ephebe

e·phe·bic, adjective

Words nearby ephebe

epg, eph-, eph., ephah, ephapse, ephebe, ephebiatrics, ephebic, ephebus, ephedra, ephedrine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ephebe

  • The Greek youth became enamoured of the ephebe in the gymnasium, where they appeared nude and beautiful.

    Acrobats and Mountebanks|Hugues Le Roux

British Dictionary definitions for ephebe

ephebe
/ (ɪˈfiːb, ˈɛfiːb) /

noun

(in ancient Greece) a youth about to enter full citizenship, esp one undergoing military training

Derived forms of ephebe

ephebic, adjective

Word Origin for ephebe

C19: from Latin ephēbus, from Greek ephēbos, from hēbē young manhood
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