Iliad

[ il-ee-uh d ]

/ ˈɪl i əd /

noun

(italics) a Greek epic poem describing the siege of Troy, ascribed to Homer.

(sometimes lowercase) any similar poem; a long narrative.

(often lowercase) a long series of woes, trials, etc.

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Origin of Iliad

< Latin Iliad- (stem of Ilias) < Greek, equivalent to Ili(on) Troy + -ad- -ad¹

OTHER WORDS FROM Iliad

Il·i·ad·ic

[il-ee-ad-ik] /ˌɪl iˈæd ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for iliad

The scientists tracked the words in the "Iliad" the way they would track genes in a genome.
How Old is the Illiad?|Justin Green|March 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They looked for Swadesh words in the "Iliad" and found 173 of them.
How Old is the Illiad?|Justin Green|March 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the Iliad, a Chimera is a grotesque animal jumble, “lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle.”
Delegitimizing Israel Makes Peace Harder to Achieve|Gil Troy|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Waiting for the Barbarians By Daniel Mendelsohn A master classicist takes on subjects from the ‘Iliad’ to ‘Avatar.’
This Week’s Hot Reads: Oct. 7, 2012|Nicholas Mancusi|October 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Men have been punching each other in the head since the beginning of time, and you will find references to boxing in The Iliad.
Olympics Kickoff: Boris Johnson on London’s Sporty Side|Boris Johnson|July 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The story of the siege of Troy and of the great events of Homer's Iliad.
Special Method in Primary Reading and Oral Work with Stories|Charles Alexander McMurry
To the Iliad, subsequent ages have turned with one accord for images of heroism, traits of nature, grandeur of character.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 354, April 1845|Various
We may almost ask—Are we returned back to the days of the Iliad and the Odyssey?
About London|J. Ewing Ritchie
But no proof of anything p. 21like this force is brought against the antiquity of the Iliad or Odyssey.
The Homeric Hymns|Andrew Lang
His susceptible imagination, vivid and correct, was impregnated by the Odyssey, and warmed with the fire of the Iliad.
The Lives Of The Twelve Caesars, Complete|C. Suetonius Tranquillus

British Dictionary definitions for iliad

Iliad

/ (ˈɪlɪəd) /

noun

a Greek epic poem describing the siege of Troy, attributed to Homer and probably composed before 700 bc

Derived forms of Iliad

Iliadic (ˌɪlɪˈædɪk), adjective

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