Pyrrhus

[ pir-uh s ]

/ ˈpɪr əs /

noun

c318–272 b.c., king of Epirus c300–272.

Classical Mythology. Neoptolemus.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pyrrhus

The aid which Pyrrhus brought did little good to the Tarentines, and his final departure in 274 left them defenceless.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various
Till the war with Pyrrhus, the knowledge that the two nations had of one another was slight and vague.
The Roman Poets of the Republic|William Young Sellar
Rome prepares for war; the Tarentines engage Pyrrhus to assist them.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Vol. 2|Various
Pyrrhus, who had tried to mediate between Tarentum and Rome, meeting with non-success, advances on Rome.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Vol. 2|Various

In Ambrakia once Pyrrhus was advised to banish a man who abused him in scurrilous terms.
Plutarch's Lives, Volume II|Aubrey Stewart & George Long

British Dictionary definitions for pyrrhus

Pyrrhus

/ (ˈpɪrəs) /

noun

319–272 bc, king of Epirus (306–272). He invaded Italy but was ultimately defeated by the Romans (275 bc)

another name for Neoptolemus

Derived Forms

Pyrrhic, adjective

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