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Polycrates

American  
[puh-lik-ruh-teez] / pəˈlɪk rəˌtiz /

noun

  1. died 522? b.c., Greek tyrant of Samos.


Polycrates British  
/ pəˈlɪkrəˌtiːz /

noun

  1. died ?522 bc , Greek tyrant of Samos, who was crucified by a Persian satrap

"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

Example Sentences

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In the year 540 B.C. or thereabouts, on the island of Samos, there came to power a tyrant named Polycrates.

From Literature

Polycrates was a generous patron of the arts, sciences and engineering.

From Literature

Perhaps the most influential person ever associated with Samos was Pythagoras,* a contemporary of Polycrates in the sixth century b.c.

From Literature

But there is another and more ominous side to the enterprise: it was built in part by slaves in chains, many captured by the pirate ships of Polycrates.

From Literature

Polycrates’ fortifications were built by slaves.

From Literature