Persephone

American

[per-sef-uh-nee] / pərˈsɛf ə ni /

noun

Classical Mythology. Also Proserpina Proserpine 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.

Persephone British

/ pəˈsɛfənɪ /

noun

Roman counterpart: Proserpina. 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 it

"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.

She is currently starring in the West End production of hit musical Hadestown, which tells a version of ancient Greek myth Orpheus, and is due to end her run as goddess Persephone in January.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

From Demeter mourning Persephone to the harvest holidays of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, we’ve always marked time through the land.

From Salon • Oct. 7, 2025

And so they did, with DiFranco singing the part of Persephone.

From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2024

As our story begins, the goddess Persephone is in the underworld, where she lives half the year with her husband, Hades.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2023

He became so gentle and sweet and cooperative that they left him at the palace of Hades, where Persephone promised he would be looked after.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023