Perseus

American  

[pur-see-uhs, -syoos] / ˈpɜr si əs, -sjus /

noun

• Persei
  genitive

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.

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Perseus ¹ British  

/ 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

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Perseus ² British  

/ ˈpɜːsɪəs /

noun

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

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Perseus Scientific  

/ pûr′sē-əs /

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

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Perseus Cultural  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Perseus Persei

These meteors are visible all around the world and named because they appear to originate from the constellation Perseus.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, but their path seems to trace back to the constellation Perseus, which rises in the north east and climbs higher during the night.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Find insight on America’s scrap metal industry, Capstone Copper, Clariant, Perseus Mining and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials..

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

West African Resources intends to increase shareholder returns and Perseus has increased its share buyback, says Macquarie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Perseus on his winged sandals hovered above them, looking, however, only at the shield.

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

It’s located about 1,000 light years from Earth and it’s visible thanks to the ionization of gases by the blue giant star Persei.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024

The celebrated French astronomer, Janssen, had a different theory of Nova Persei, and of temporary stars in general.

From Curiosities of the Sky by Garrett Putman Serviss

On October 13, 1907, Nova Persei, the great new star of 1901, was estimated to be only 11·44 magnitude, or about 11½.

From Astronomical Curiosities Facts and Fallacies by J. Ellard Gore

A line from θ to α Aurigæ prolonged about 20° ends near α Persei.

From A Field Book of the Stars by William Tyler Olcott

Al´-ge-nib, α Persei, "the side," or Mirfak, "the elbow."

From A Field Book of the Stars by William Tyler Olcott