phoebe

[fee-bee]

noun

any of several small American flycatchers of the genus Sayornis, especially S. phoebe, of eastern North America.

Origin of phoebe

1690–1700, Americanism; imitative; spelling by influence of Phoebe

Phoebe

[fee-bee]

noun

Classical Mythology. a Titan, daughter of Uranus and Gaea and mother of Leto, later identified with Artemis and with the Roman goddess Diana.
Astronomy. one of the moons of Saturn.
Literary. the moon personified.
a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for phoebe

Contemporary Examples of phoebe

So when he told me, 'You can come to my show, but you can't come to see Phoebe, and you can't come to see Riccardo, that was odd.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s Balmain Campaign: High Fashion Meets Low Culture
Amy Zimmerman
December 23, 2014
Remember when Chandler was sexually attracted to sharks and Phoebe raised a litter of baby rats?
15 Times ‘Friends’ Was Really, Really Weird
Kevin Fallon
September 18, 2014
Also making Time's list are Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet and Céline's creative director, Phoebe Philo.
Beyonce Covers Time's '100 Most Influential People' Issue; Michelle Obama to Cut Ribbon at Anna Wintour Costume Center
The Fashion Beast Team
April 24, 2014
There was that innocently ignoble time Phoebe Buffay pretended she was a physician named Dr. Regina Phalange.
Scandal’s Lisa Kudrow on Sexism in Politics (and That Epic Rant)
Kevin Fallon
November 14, 2013
In a shocking turn, minimalist Phoebe Philo presented a bold new aesthetic for Céline next spring.
Céline's New Look
Erin Cunningham
September 30, 2013

Historical Examples of phoebe

Her sister Phoebe, heart-broken by her loss, followed soon after.
The Works of Whittier, Volume IV (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
Phoebe bit her lips because she wanted to treat the subject very seriously.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
"That my girl," Phoebe explained, stopping the soft pat—pat of her butter-ladle.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
Phoebe in her earnestness forgot to keep within the limitations of their dialect.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
Grant did not even look at Phoebe, but his purpose seemed to waver in spite of himself.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for phoebe

phoebe

noun

any of several greyish-brown North American flycatchers of the genus Sayornis, such as S. phoebe (eastern phoebe)

Word Origin for phoebe

C19: imitative of the bird's call

Phoebe

Phebe

noun

classical myth a Titaness, who later became identified with Artemis (Diana) as goddess of the moon
poetic a personification of the moon

Phoebe

noun

the outermost satellite of the planet Saturn. It has retrograde motion and a dark surface

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 phoebe

small North American flycatcher, pewit, 1700, phebe, so called in imitation of its cry; spelling altered (1839) by influence of the woman's proper name Phoebe.

Phoebe

fem. proper name, late 14c., originally a name of Artemis as the goddess of the moon, from Latin Phoebe, from Greek phoibos "bright, pure," of unknown origin. The fem. form of Phoebus, an epithet of Apollo as sun-god.