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

epexegesis, epexegetic, EPG, eph-, ephah, ephebe, ephebus, ephedra, ephedrine, ephemera, ephemeral

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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