Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Cyrus the Younger

Cyrus the Younger

1 9.9
A Persian prince who tried to take the throne from his brother and died at the Battle of Cunaxa
  • proper noun
: Ciro el Joven
  • Cyrus the Younger was defeated in 401 BC at the Battle of Cunaxa.

Examples

  • The Greek mercenaries hired by Cyrus the Younger became famous in Xenophon's Anabasis.

  • Cyrus the Younger led a force of Greek mercenaries in his campaign against his brother, Artaxerxes II.

  • History students often compare Cyrus the Younger to other ambitious Persian princes.

  • Did Cyrus the Younger really attempt to seize the throne?

  • He was defeated at the Battle of Cunaxa, where Cyrus the Younger lost his life.

  • Cyrus the Younger was a notable figure in Persian history for his attempt to usurp the throne.

  • The downfall of Cyrus the Younger at the Battle of Cunaxa marked a significant event in Persian history.

Synonyms

Cyrus
vsCyrus the Younger
5 8.8

A Persian prince who died in 401 BC after losing a fight for the throne to his brother

is the same person but given a distinguishing epithet to identify him

Surface Forms

Cyrus the Younger main

Morphology

Cyrus + the + younger

This is a straightforward proper-name construction: 'Cyrus' combined with the identificational modifier 'the Younger' simply indicates which Cyrus is meant (the younger one). A B1 learner who knows the constituent words and naming conventions will understand it refers to a particular, younger individual named Cyrus, even though specific historical details are not derivable from the phrase.

Etymology

Cyrus the Younger was called this because he was a prince named Cyrus who was younger than another ruler with the same name, so people added the Younger to tell them apart. He is remembered for hiring Greek soldiers and trying to take the throne, but he died at the Battle of Cunaxa, so history books use the full name Cyrus the Younger to mean that specific prince.