Pleiad

American  

[plee-uhd, plahy-uhd] / ˈpli əd, ˈplaɪ əd /

noun

1. any of the Pleiades.

2. French Pléiade.  a group of seven French poets of the latter half of the 16th century.

3. (usually lowercase) any group of eminent or brilliant persons or things, especially when seven in number.

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Pleiad ¹ British  

/ ˈplaɪəd /

noun

1. one of the Pleiades (stars or daughters of Atlas)

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pleiad ² British  

/ ˈplaɪəd /

noun

1. a brilliant or talented group, esp one with seven members

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Etymology

Origin of pleiad

C16: originally French Pléiade, name given by Pierre de Ronsard to himself and six other poets after a group of Alexandrian Greek poets who were called this after the _Pleiades ¹

Example Sentences

John Rogers' Lost Pleiad shows American sculpture at its most blatantly sentimental.

From Time Magazine Archive

Later on, at the hotel, Archibald produced the copy of the "Pleiad," which contained the verses inspired by Margaret Medhurst's younger sister, and insisted on reading them aloud.

From Cleo The Magnificent Or, the Muse of the Real by Zangwill, Louis

A spark-like light my son lit, reminded me of the lost Pleiad.

From Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills by Owen, Luella Agnes

Pleiad, plī′ad, n. one of the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, after death changed into stars:—pl.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

You are the Lost Pleiad of Literature, that's what you are; and a mighty neat phrase that is.

From Margaret Montfort by Barry, Etheldred B. (Etheldred Breeze)