Hippolytus

American  

[hi-pol-i-tuhs] / hɪˈpɒl ɪ təs /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. Also Hippolytos the son of Theseus who was falsely accused by his stepmother, Phaedra, of raping her after he had rejected her advances and who was killed by Poseidon in response to the plea of Theseus.

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Hippolytus British  

/ hɪˈpɒlɪtəs /

noun

1. Greek myth a son of Theseus, killed after his stepmother Phaedra falsely accused him of raping her

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Hippolytan
  adjective

Example Sentences

Of “That Summer — That Fall,” based on Euripides’s tragedy Hippolytus, Mr. Gilroy later quipped, “What I learned was that a boy from the Bronx shouldn’t mess around with the Greeks.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 14, 2015

And that made him the most unattainable and romantic hero imaginable — Hippolytus, Euripides’ chaste and scornful warrior, or a Mr. Rochester for the sci-fi age.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2015

Phaedra falls for Hippolytus, Theseus’ son from previous marriage.

From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2011

It was invented in Italy during the early 16th century by the lawyer Hippolytus de Marsiliis.

From The Guardian • Jul. 29, 2010

In the later years of his life Theseus married Ariadne’s sister Phaedra, and thereby drew down terrible misfortunes on her and on himself and on his son Hippolytus, the son the Amazon had borne him.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton