Polyphemus
1
9.9
- proper noun
- /ˌpɒlɪˈfiːməs/
- Literature
:
Polifemo
- The legend of Polyphemus teaches us about the consequences of pride and the power of wit.
- Polyphemus and Galatea
Examples
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17 At the Farnesina, the panel to the left of Galatea is occupied by Sebastiano del Piombo's Polyphemus, the one-eyed mountain man, who sits there staring at his beloved.
Academic text (2001) -
Meanwhile, the first man is offering yet another drink to Polyphemus, who is in the act of sipping.
Academic text (1999) -
At the same time, Polyphemus holds two legs from a victim otherwise digested.
Academic text (1999) -
He warned us of the Cyclops Polyphemus days in advance.
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The Fleece is guarded by Polyphemus.
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This must be the boulder Polyphemus used to trap Odysseus... when he was returning from the Trojan War.
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In the famous encounter with Polyphemus, the cycloptic bastard son of Poseidon, Odysseus brilliantly tricks the beast before gouging out its eye.
Blog text (23) -
In Greek mythology, Polyphemus is the famous one-eyed giant who imprisoned Odysseus in his cave.
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During his journey, Odysseus cleverly blinded Polyphemus to escape from captivity.
Synonyms
16
8.8
A giant with one eye in the middle of the forehead from Greek myth
Compounds
- Specialized
A very large North American moth with yellow-brown wings and big round eye marks on the back of its wings
- Specialized
A large sea animal with a hard horseshoe-shaped shell and a long pointed tail
- Specialized
A burrowing land tortoise from the southeastern United States that makes large burrows and shelters other animals
- Specialized
A large sea animal like a crab with a hard domed shell and pointed tail
Surface Forms
Etymology
The name Polyphemus comes from the Greek parts poly- ('many') and -pheme ('speech' or 'talk'), so it means 'much talked about'; that's why the one-eyed giant is a famous figure in the stories where Odysseus meets him.