Myrmidon

[ mur-mi-don, -dn ]
See synonyms for Myrmidon on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural Myr·mi·dons, Myr·mid·o·nes [mur-mid-n-eez]. /mɜrˈmɪd nˌiz/.
  1. Classical Mythology. one of the warlike people of ancient Thessaly who accompanied Achilles to the Trojan War.

  2. (lowercase) a person who executes without question or scruple a master's commands.

Origin of Myrmidon

1
Middle English, from Latin Myrmidones (plural), from Greek Myrmidónes; def. 1 first recorded in 1425-75, and def. 2 first recorded in 1625-50

Words Nearby Myrmidon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Myrmidon in a sentence

  • So he passed on, and with his Myrmidon reached Galway, without incurring any impediment from Mr. Lax.

    The Landleaguers | Anthony Trollope
  • After receiving (p. 096) them on board, we made sail, accompanied by the Myrmidon, for England.

    The Surrender of Napoleon | Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland.
  • He turned to his Myrmidon: "Get a move on you, Herbert; it's a bit parky standing about here."

  • What Myrmidon or Dolopian, or soldier of stern Ulysses, could in such a tale restrain his tears!

  • It sits on the top of its blade of grass, and when a Myrmidon passes below, it throws a little skein of cobweb at its head.

    Atlantis | Gerhart Hauptmann

British Dictionary definitions for Myrmidon

Myrmidon

/ (ˈmɜːmɪˌdɒn, -dən) /


nounplural Myrmidons or Myrmidones (mɜːˈmɪdəˌniːz)
  1. Greek myth one of a race of people whom Zeus made from a nest of ants. They settled in Thessaly and were led against Troy by Achilles

  2. (often not capital) a follower or henchman

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