Hecuba

American

[hek-yoo-buh] / ˈhɛk yʊ bə /

noun

Classical Mythology. the wife of Priam.

Hecuba British

/ ˈhɛkjʊbə /

noun

classical myth the wife of King Priam of Troy, and mother of Hector and Paris

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Periodically Hecuba violently drums on her chest — a classical gesture of mourning.

From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2022

Dowling said she had tapped Cole several times, including for a scene in which Hecuba prays to the gods for help defending Troy.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2022

Cynosemma: A Dirge from the Dog’s Tomb The tale of Hecuba, Queen of Troy, is reimagined in this musical fable from O-Lan Jones.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2018

With a nod to Hamlet's lines: "What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,/ That he should weep for her?"

From The Guardian • Jul. 20, 2013

Chief among the captives was the old Queen, Hecuba, and her daughter-in-law, Hector’s wife Andromache.

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