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.

---

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

---

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

That’s the hypothesis of one of the world’s shrewdest and most respected analysts of geopolitics and energy, Cambridge University political economy professor Helen Thompson.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

Ireland's armed forces have been put "on standby" to assist with clearing the blockades, defence minister Helen McEntee has said.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Helen Rowe, from the Isle of Dogs in London, contacted BBC Your Voice to ask how she could continue to feed birds safely.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Helen Greiner’s interest in robotics began when she was 10 and saw the movie “Star Wars”—and became captivated by the character R2-D2.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Somewhere near the boat, Helen and Fred were swimming together.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen