Helen

American  

[hel-uhn] / ˈhɛl ən /

noun

1. Also called Helen of Troy.  Classical Mythology. the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus whose abduction by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War.

2. a female given name.

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Helen British  

/ ˈhɛlɪn /

noun

1. Greek myth the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose abduction by Paris from her husband Menelaus caused the Trojan War

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Etymology

Origin of Helen

< French Hélène < Latin Helena < Greek Helénē, of obscure origin, probably the name of a pre-Greek vegetation goddess; often linked by folk etymology with helénē, helánē torch, St. Elmo's fire, an unrelated word

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Helen

Helen Miller, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: "Economic growth in every postcode sounds great and is something we would all love. I think it'll actually be much harder to achieve in practice."

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

The unfaithful Clytemnestra and Helen are supposed to be contrasting forces to Anne Hathaway’s loyal Penelope.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

“The Odyssey” and all its accompanying discourse remain omnipresent, but we have been talking about it since Christopher Nolan’s casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy was revealed months ago.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

Businesses from Under Armour to Helen of Troy are narrowing the selection of products they sell to cut costs and simplify supply chains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

In 1884, two years after his first wife died, abolitionist and civil rights leader Frederick Douglass married a white woman, Helen Pitts.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling