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petasus

[pet-uh-suh s]
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noun, plural pet·a·sus·es.
  1. a broad-brimmed hat worn by ancient Greek travelers and hunters, often represented in art as a winged hat worn by Hermes or Mercury.
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Also pet·a·sos [pet-uh-suh s, -sos] /ˈpɛt ə səs, -ˌsɒs/.

Origin of petasus

1590–1600; < Latin < Greek pétasos, akin to petannýnai to spread out
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for petasus

Historical Examples

  • It is the Petasus of Hermes—the mist of morning over the dew.

    Ariadne Florentina

    John Ruskin

  • And one of them had a petasus and a golden caduceus, and the other had a trumpet.

  • Of motion is often born inspiration—Hermes, god of oratory, is represented with petasus and talaria—and I am enjoying motion.

    Romantic Spain

    John Augustus O'Shea

  • On his head he wore a petasus of hyacinthine hue, out of which sprang three peacock's feathers.

  • As messenger of the gods he wears the Petasus and Talaria, and bears in his hand the Caduceus or herald's staff.

British Dictionary definitions for petasus

petasus

petasos (ˈpɛtəsəs, -ˌsɒs)

noun
  1. a broad-brimmed hat worn by the ancient Greeks, such as one with wings on either side as traditionally worn by Mercury
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Word Origin

C16: via Latin from Greek petasos
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