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lamia

 - 5 dictionary results

la⋅mi⋅a

  [ley-mee-uh]
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–noun, plural -mi⋅as, -mi⋅ae  [-mee-ee] for 1, 2.
1. Classical Mythology. one of a class of fabulous monsters, commonly represented with the head and breast of a woman and the body of a serpent, said to allure youths and children in order to suck their blood.
2. a vampire; a female demon.
3. (initial capital letter, italics) a narrative poem (1819) by John Keats.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L < Gk lámia a female man-eater
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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la·mi·a   (lā'mē-ə)   
n.   pl. la·mi·as or la·mi·ae (-mē-ē')

  1. also Lamia Greek Mythology A monster represented as a serpent with the head and breasts of a woman that ate children and sucked the blood from men.

  2. A female vampire.


[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek.]
La·mi·a   (lə-mē'ə, lä-mē'ä)   
A city of east-central Greece northwest of Athens. Founded c. fifth century B.C., it was the site of the Lamian War (323-322 B.C.) between the confederated Greeks and the Macedonian general Antipater, who was besieged in the city for several months before his ultimate victory. Population: 46,400.
La·mi'an adj. & n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

lamia 
1382, from Gk., "female vampire," lit. "swallower, lecher," from laimos "throat, gullet." Probably cognate with L. lemures "spirits of the dead" (see lemur). Used in early translations of the Bible for screech owls and sea monsters.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

Lamia

city of central Greece in the Sperkhios River valley at the foot of the Othris Mountains, near the Gulf of Euboea. It is the capital of the Fthiotis nomos (department) and the seat of a bishop of the Greek Orthodox church. Lamia commands the strategic Fourka Pass leading northwestward into Thessaly (Thessalia).

Learn more about Lamia with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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