Telemachus

American

[tuh-lem-uh-kuhs] / təˈlɛm ə kəs /

noun

Classical Mythology.

the son of Odysseus and Penelope who helped Odysseus to kill the suitors of Penelope.

Telemachus British

/ tɪˈlɛməkəs /

noun

Greek myth the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who helped his father slay his mother's suitors

"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

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:

Telemachus

Telemachus is horrified that a boy would murder his own mother, but Menelaus sets him straight.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

“My son calls to ask when I’m getting back . . . and I think of Telemachus, patiently waiting 20 years for his father’s return.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Anne Hathaway and Holland co-star as his wife Penelope and son Telemachus.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

On a related note, between this second spider-puberty and Holland’s supporting turn as a mother-henned Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” will Hollywood ever allow 30-year-old Holland to play a grown man?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

When they had hidden the treasures in a nearby cave they separated, she to summon Telemachus home, he, whom her art had turned into a shambling ragged old man, to seek the swineherd.

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023