galatea

[ gal-uh-tee-uh ]

/ ˌgæl əˈti ə /

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noun

a strong cotton fabric, plain or striped, for clothing.

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Origin of galatea

First recorded in 1880–85; named after the 19th-century British man-of-war H.M.S. Galatea; the fabric was once used for children's sailor suits

Words nearby galatea

galantine, galanty show, Galápagos Islands, Galashiels, Galata, galatea, Galathea Deep, Galaţi, Galatia, Galatian, Galatians

Other definitions for galatea (2 of 2)

Galatea

[ gal-uh-tee-uh ]

/ ˌgæl əˈti ə /

noun Classical Mythology.

a sea nymph who was the lover of Acis.

a maiden who had been an ivory statue carved by Pygmalion and brought to life by Aphrodite in response to his prayers.

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

How to use galatea in a sentence

The European side contains the Galatea tower, the Beyogolou district, the things one reads about when learning about Istanbul.
The Model Diaries: In Turkey, It’s No Breasts, No Jobs|Anonymous|January 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And Galatea read his letters with increasing ardor and slept with them under her pillow.
Quin|Alice Hegan Rice
As he did so he looked up toward high Olympus and prayed Venus to grant him a wife like his peerless Galatea.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome|Emilie Kip Baker
Galatea did not return the Cyclops's affection, however, for she loved the river god Acis.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome|Emilie Kip Baker

But Gilbert never soared so high either in his philosophy or in his art as in Pygmalion and Galatea.
The English Stage|Augustin Filon
It is here that Raphael painted the Triumph of Galatea, and here this wonderful fresco is still bright upon the wall.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. II (of 3)|George Eliot

British Dictionary definitions for galatea (1 of 2)

galatea

/ (ˌɡæləˈtɪə) /

noun

a strong twill-weave cotton fabric, striped or plain, for clothing

Word Origin for galatea

C19: named after the man-of-war HMS Galatea (the fabric was at one time in demand for children's sailor suits)

British Dictionary definitions for galatea (2 of 2)

Galatea

/ (ˌɡæləˈtɪə) /

noun

Greek myth a statue of a maiden brought to life by Aphrodite in response to the prayers of the sculptor Pygmalion, who had fallen in love with his creation

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