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Pythian

American  
[pith-ee-uhn] / ˈpɪθ i ən /

adjective

  1. Also Pythic. of or relating to Delphi, in ancient Greece.

  2. of or relating to Apollo, with reference to his oracle at Delphi.


noun

  1. a Pythian priestess.

Pythian British  
/ ˈpɪθɪən /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Delphi or its oracle

"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

noun

  1. the priestess of Apollo at the oracle of Delphi

  2. an inhabitant of ancient Delphi

"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

Etymology

Origin of Pythian

1590–1600; < Latin Pȳthi ( us ) (< Greek Pȳ́thios of Delphi and the oracle) + -an

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

These include academics, barristers, civil liberties groups, and a youth group in Nottingham - The Pythian Club - who have all taken part in a "listening exercise" with the CPS.

From BBC Jan. 24, 2022

He was the founder, captain and star player of the Pythian team, the best Black team in Philadelphia.

From Washington Post Oct. 8, 2020

I slathered on sunblock before heading in — which is to say, up, for seeing the Pythian ruins would involve a fairly steep hike up the mountainside.

From New York Times Jul. 22, 2016

Phayllos of Croton, for example, hurled the discus 95 feet in the Pythian games around 500 B.C.

From Slate Jul. 31, 2012

Apollo was called Delian from Delos, the island of his birth, and Pythian from his killing of a serpent, Python, which once lived in the caves of Parnassus.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

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