Menelaus

[ men-l-ey-uhs ]

/ ˌmɛn lˈeɪ əs /

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noun

Classical Mythology. a king of Sparta, the husband of Helen and brother of Agamemnon, to whom he appealed for an army against Troy in order to recover Helen from her abductor, Paris.

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Words nearby Menelaus

Mendota, Mendoza, Mendoza Line, Meneer, menel, Menelaus, Menelik II, Menem, mene, mene, tekel, upharsin, Menéndez de Avilés, Meneptah

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Menelaus in a sentence

When the woman is a powerful man’s wife — Helen was married to King Menelaus of Sparta — the effort to retrieve her can hardly help escalating to armed conflict.
The war on the American frontier, seen through the abduction of Daniel Boone’s daughter|H. W. Brands|October 29, 2021|Washington Post
Aided by some divine meddling, Paris performs the consummate indignity against his host Menelaus by absconding with his wife.
‘A Sustained Sense of Violation’: When Bad House Guests Invade Literature|Matt Seidel|July 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But Menelaus being convicted, promised Ptolemee to give him much money to persuade the king to favour him.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
And in Gazarim, Andronicus and Menelaus, who bore a more heavy hand upon the citizens than the rest.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

The sword of Menelaus broke into three or four pieces when he smote the helmet ridge of Paris.
Homer and His Age|Andrew Lang
Menelaus takes a spear, and goes to look for Agamemnon, whom he finds arming himself beside his ship.
Homer and His Age|Andrew Lang
Many others volunteer, but Agamemnon bids Diomede choose his own companion, with a very broad hint not to take Menelaus.
Homer and His Age|Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for Menelaus

Menelaus

/ (ˌmɛnɪˈleɪəs) /

noun

Greek myth a king of Sparta and the brother of Agamemnon. He was the husband of Helen, whose abduction led to the Trojan War

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