Minerva
Americannoun
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the ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts, identified with the Greek goddess Athena.
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a woman of great wisdom.
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a female given name.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Minerva
First recorded before 1000 Minerva for def. 1; 1780–85 Minerva for def. 2; from Latin Minerva, earlier Menerva, from unattested Meneswā, perhaps meaning “intelligent, wise (woman),” or “woman who measures (the phases of the moon)”
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost as Hagrid and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, the cast is just as formidable and star-studded as the films.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
To communicate with his partner Minerva Fabienne Hase, he gave himself a crash course in English.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
After cutting the ribbon, Hawkins spent time with A-level musicians as well as one of the school's rock bands, Minerva, which performed for him.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
Two vessels, the Minerva Gloria and Searuby, were anchored at Bajo Grande on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
I picked up the scissors when she put them down and cut my own braid off to send with Minerva.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
