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Nessus

American  
[nes-uhs] / ˈnɛs əs /
Or Nessos

noun

Classical Mythology.
  1. a centaur who, on attempting to seduce Deianira, the wife of Hercules, was shot by Hercules with a poisoned arrow. Before Nessus died, he gave to Deianira the poisoned tunic that ultimately caused Hercules' death.


Nessus British  
/ ˈnɛsəs /

noun

  1. Greek myth a centaur that killed Hercules. A garment dipped in its blood fatally poisoned Hercules, who had been given it by Deianira who thought it was a love charm

"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

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.

See Examples For:

No one can convince her otherwise, and she decides to win her spouse back with an enchanted robe that the dying centaur Nessus told her was a love charm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

Each exists to segment the story into three sections, sending you from the EDZ to the moons Titan and Io and an all-new location, the Nessus, in your quest to rejoin them.

From The Verge ● Sep. 5, 2017

Heracles,” a tragic opera about Hercules and the poisoned robe of Nessus, required 300 performers.

From New York Times ● Dec. 12, 2015

The third co-founder, Renaud Deraison, was a creator of technology called Nessus, which helps protect computer networks from hackers and other intrusions.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 10, 2015

Directly after her marriage, when Hercules was taking her home, they had reached a river where the Centaur Nessus acted as ferryman, carrying travelers over the water.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

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