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• Isis
  Isis

  noun

  a goddess of fertility, the sister and wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, and usually represented as a woman with a cow's horns with the solar disk between them: later worshiped in the Greek and Roman empires.
• ISIS
  ISIS

  noun

  Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (or Islamic State in Iraq and Syria): a radical Sunni Muslim organization whose aim is to restore an Islamic state, or caliphate, in the region encompassing Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, and southeastern Turkey.

Isis

¹ American  

[ahy-sis] / ˈaɪ sɪs /

noun

Egyptian Religion.

1. a goddess of fertility, the sister and wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, and usually represented as a woman with a cow's horns with the solar disk between them: later worshiped in the Greek and Roman empires.

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ISIS ² American  

[ahy-sis] / ˈaɪ sɪs /

noun

1. Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (or Islamic State in Iraq and Syria): a radical Sunni Muslim organization whose aim is to restore an Islamic state, or caliphate, in the region encompassing Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, and southeastern Turkey.

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Isis ¹ British  

/ ˈaɪsɪs /

noun

1. the local name for the River Thames at Oxford

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Isis ² British  

/ ˈaɪsɪs /

noun

1. an ancient Egyptian fertility goddess, depicted as a woman with a cow's horns, between which was the disc of the sun; wife and sister of Osiris

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Etymology

Origin of Isis¹

< Latin < Greek Îsis < Egyptian 'st

Origin of ISIS²

First recorded in 2010–15; from Arabic al-Sham, an ancient territory known in English as the Levant, an area on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Isis ISIS

With US military support, the SDF drove Isis from much of northeastern Syria and went on to govern both Kurdish and Arab-majority areas.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2026

The major rediscovery, and the title subject of the documentary, is the Temple of Isis that sat upon the island of Antirhodos, itself residing in a soggy grave.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

All the fixtures and artwork are donated, including bookshelves, massive mirrors and a bust of the Egyptian goddess Isis as well as a replica of the Titanic above the used fiction section.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2025

Carbona remade BioLife into AveXis: Av for adeno-associated virus serotype 9, the engine of Kaspar’s drug; ve for vector; X for the DNA helix; and Is for Isis, the goddess of children, nature and magic.

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2025

Cleopatra’s ties to Isis linked her to the goddess’s power over motherhood and love.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

"The Peshmerga have been the frontline in the US and international war with ISIS," said Campbell, an expert at the Middle East Institute.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

David Albright, the founder and President of the ISIS, says that the "concern is Pickaxe Mountain could be a location where Iran puts an enrichment plant that could produce weapon-grade uranium for nuclear weapons".

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Widely known as the "ISIS brides", the case has stirred strong feelings in Australia.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

Mr. Khan is also charged with supporting ISIS.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

Their uniforms show they’re with the Protection Units, not ISIS.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell