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Oread

Oread

1 9.9
A female spirit that lives on mountains and rocky hills
  • noun
  • /ˈɔːriˌæd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : Oread
  • In Greek mythology, an Oread is a nymph who inhabits mountainous regions, often seen dancing among the peaks.

Examples

  • I want your boys to be settin' up a post on Mount Oread.

  • I shall not sleep again until I stand upon Mount Oread, and I look down upon the abolitionists of Lawrence.

  • To defend the town from another attack, two U.S. Army companies set up Camp Lookout on a local ridge called "Mount Oread," on the current site of KU.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Oreads filled these heights.

    Academic text (2003)
  • PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): FIG. 9 - The marker where barracks were built on Mount Oread is just above the bench in the right foreground, indicated by the arrow.

    Academic text (2009)
  • According to legend, the Oreads would help travelers lost in the mountains find their way back home.

  • The ancient tales speak of the Oreads singing harmoniously from the mountain tops, enchanting all who heard them.

Synonyms

nymph
vsOread
  • Literature
19 8.2

A female spirit of nature often shown as a young beautiful woman

is the mountain-specific spirit inhabiting rocky hills and high places

Surface Forms

Oread singular
Oreads plural

Etymology

Oread comes from the Greek root oros, which means 'mountain'. So an Oread is a 'mountain' nymph or spirit, a woman of the hills in old stories.