Persephone
[per-sef-uh-nee]
- Also Proserpina, Proserpine. Classical Mythology. a daughter of Zeus and Demeter, abducted by Pluto to be queen of Hades, but allowed to return to the surface of the earth for part of the year.
- a female given name.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for persephone
Contemporary Examples
Persephone snacked on pomegranate seeds in Hades and now our gas bills rocket in January.
Pluto is god of the underworld whose wife Persephone sits frozen, entranced or asleep on her throne.
Historical Examples
It is not difficult to discover the meaning of the myth of Demeter and Persephone.
Christianity As A Mystical FactRudolf Steiner
She had given to Zeus a daughter, Persephone, before his marriage with Hera.
Christianity As A Mystical FactRudolf Steiner
Persephone, who spends half her life in the grave—she could interpret it also.
A Room With A ViewE. M. Forster
Surely, Persephone, you must be able to give us some idea of the dead.
HypolympiaEdmund Gosse
The most famous instance of this myth is that of Persephone.
Studies on the Legend of the Holy GrailAlfred Nutt
Persephone
- Greek myth a daughter of Zeus and Demeter, abducted by Hades and made his wife and queen of the underworld, but allowed part of each year to leave itRoman counterpart: Proserpina
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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 persephone
Persephone
wife of Hades, queen of the netherworld, identified with Kore, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, from Greek Persephone (see person).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper