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philomela

 - 4 dictionary results

Phil⋅o⋅me⋅la

  [fil-uh-mee-luh]
Use philomela in a Sentence
–noun
1. Classical Mythology. an Athenian princess who was raped by her brother-in-law Tereus and was subsequently avenged and transformed into a nightingale.
2. (lowercase) philomel.

phil⋅o⋅mel

  [fil-uh-mel]
–noun Literary.
the nightingale.
Also, philomela.

Origin:
1350–1400; earlier Philomele, Philomela (< MF philomèle) < L Philomēla < Gk Philómēla Philomela; r. ME Philomene < ML Philomēna, dissimilated var. of Philomēla
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Phil·o·me·la   (fĭl'ə-mē'lə)   
n.   Greek Mythology
A princess of Athens who, after being raped by her brother-in-law, Tereus, was avenged by her sister, Procne, and was later turned into a swallow or nightingale while fleeing Tereus.

[Latin Philomēla, from Greek Philomēlē.]
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

philomel 
c.1385, from Gk. Philomela, poetic name of the nightingale, probably "lover of song," from philos "loving" + melos "song;" but perhaps "lover of apples" (Gk. mela). In the myth, proper name of Pandion's daughter, who was turned into a nightingale (Ovid).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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