Perseus

[ pur-see-uhs, -syoos ]

noun,genitive Per·se·i [pur-see-ahy] /ˈpɜr siˌaɪ/ for 2.
  1. Classical Mythology. a hero, the son of Zeus and Danaë, who slew the Gorgon Medusa, and afterward saved Andromeda from a sea monster.

  2. Astronomy. a northern constellation between Cassiopeia and Taurus, containing the variable star Algol.

Words Nearby Perseus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Perseus in a sentence

  • Whoever looked at Medusa was turned into stone, but Perseus, by the aid of enchantment, slew her.

    Milton's Comus | John Milton
  • Hercules, Bacchus, and Perseus were gods born by mortal mothers.

    The Necessity of Atheism | Dr. D.M. Brooks
  • To this city Perseus had repaired with the view of distinguishing himself among the combatants.

  • To this monster Polydectes sent the young Perseus, feeling sure that he would never return home alive.

British Dictionary definitions for Perseus (1 of 2)

Perseus1

/ (ˈpɜːsɪəs) /


noun
  1. Greek myth a son of Zeus and Danaë, who with Athena's help slew the Gorgon Medusa and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster

British Dictionary definitions for Perseus (2 of 2)

Perseus2

/ (ˈpɜːsɪəs) /


nounLatin genitive Persei (ˈpɜːsɪˌaɪ)
  1. a conspicuous constellation in the N hemisphere lying between Auriga and Cassiopeia and crossed by the Milky Way. It contains the eclipsing binary, Algol, and a rich cluster of galaxies

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

Scientific definitions for Perseus

Perseus

[ pûrsē-əs ]


  1. A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Andromeda and Auriga.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Perseus

Perseus

[ (pur-see-uhs, pur-syoohs) ]


A hero of classical mythology who killed the Gorgon Medusa. The god Hermes and goddess Athena helped him in this brave deed by giving him winged shoes, a magical sword, and a polished shield. With the help of these, he swooped down on Medusa from the air, used the shield as a mirror, and cut off her head without looking at it directly — for anyone who looked at a Gorgon turned to stone.

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.