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.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
All he has to do is scrawl a wobbly triumph of galatea or et in arcadia ego on a canvas, and suddenly he's up there with Roberto Calasso, if not Edward Gibbon.
From Time Magazine Archive
The owner of the galatea endeavored to tempt the Ega crew to continue another stage.
From Our Young Folks, Vol 1, No. 1 An Illustrated Magazine by Hamilton, Gail
Unfortunately, their larder was lower than it had ever been, since the going down of the galatea.
From Afloat in the Forest A Voyage among the Tree-Tops by Reid, Mayne
The steersman, confident of being on the right course, gave himself no further uneasiness; but, once more renewing his hold upon the steering oar, guided the galatea in the middle of the channel.
From Afloat in the Forest A Voyage among the Tree-Tops by Reid, Mayne
The galatea must go on manned by her own people, and the old Indian, who was to act as pilot.
From Our Young Folks, Vol 1, No. 1 An Illustrated Magazine by Hamilton, Gail
A statuesque queen breathes life into the creation — the Henry Higgins of her own Eliza Doolittle, the Pygmalion of her Galatea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2023
A short story by the author of “Circe” retells the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 6, 2022
A short story, by the author of “Circe,” retells the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 22, 2022
You think of Galatea, and all the other Galateas out there, role-playing other people in apartments and houses and factories.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2022
But we are not told that Polyphemus ever loved any maiden except Galatea, or that any maiden ever loved Polyphemus.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
