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

Musk can be counted among the many conservatives who were angered by Nolan’s decision to cast Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page as Sinon.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Nadira Goffe interviewed a classicist about the significance of casting Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and argues that the controversy over her appearance misses the point.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026

In Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s libretto, a phantom of Helen returns to Troy after the war while the real Helen is whisked away to safety.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

“There are tens if not hundreds of thousands of cases,” said Dr. Helen Hughes, a Johns Hopkins pediatrician and leading advocate for reforms that would remove barriers between patients and the care they need.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

Helen Pitts said, “Love came to me, and I was not afraid to marry the man I loved because of his color.”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling