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.
The maritime tracking website VesselFinder says that in 2025 the Minerva M.’s name changed to the Olina, whose registered owner in maritime records is listed as Tantye Peur Ltd., a Hong Kong company.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 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
Germany's Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin, two-time Grand Prix Final champions and two-time world podium finishers, topped the pairs short program with a score of 77.53 points.
From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025
In her later years, she was the imperious Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, and Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films.
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2024
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.
