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Morpheus

[mawr-fee-uh s, -fyoos]
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noun
  1. Classical Mythology. a son of Hypnos and the god of dreams.
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Idioms
  1. in the arms of Morpheus, asleep.
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Origin of Morpheus

1325–75; Middle English < Latin < Greek morph(ḗ) form + Latin -eus noun suffix; coined by Ovid, with allusion to the forms seen in dreams
Related formsMor·phe·an, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for morpheus

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • But on this morning there is no slothful skulking in the arms of Morpheus.

  • Forrester needed no introductions to Morpheus, the God of Sleep.

    Pagan Passions

    Gordon Randall Garrett

  • He was soon in the arms of Morpheus, and arose in the morning as gay as a lark.

  • He tried every position, every trick for propitiating Morpheus.

    The Panchronicon

    Harold Steele Mackaye

  • Here Morpheus finally conquered, and he sank into dreamless repose.

    Blown to Bits

    R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for morpheus

Morpheus

noun
  1. Greek myth the god of sleep and dreams
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Derived FormsMorphean, adjective
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

Word Origin and History for morpheus

Morpheus

name for the god of dreams in Ovid, son of Sleep, literally "the maker of shapes," from Greek morphe "form, shape, figure," especially "a fine figure, a beautiful form; beauty, fashion, outward appearance," perhaps from PIE *merph-, a possible Greek root meaning "form." Related: Morphean. Cf. Morpho, an epithet of Aphrodite, literally "shapely."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
morpheus in Culture

Morpheus

[(mawr-fee-uhs)]

A Roman god of sleep and dreams.

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Note

Someone who is “in the arms of Morpheus” is asleep.

Note

The narcotic morphine was named after Morpheus.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.