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ephebe

[ ih-feeb, ef-eeb ]
/ ɪˈfib, ˈɛf ib /
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noun
a young man, especially an ephebus.
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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

epexegetic, EPG, eph-, ephah, ephapse, ephebe, ephebiatrics, ephebic, ephebus, ephedra, ephedrine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use ephebe in a sentence

  • His glance touched their faces lightly as he smiled, a blond ephebe.

    Ulysses|James Joyce

  • 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
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