aegis

[ ee-jis ]
See synonyms for aegis on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Classical Mythology. the shield or breastplate of Zeus or Athena, bearing at its center the head of the Gorgon.

  2. protection; support: under the imperial aegis.

  1. sponsorship; auspices: a debate under the aegis of the League of Women Voters.

Origin of aegis

1
First recorded in 1425–1475; late Middle English, from Latin, from Greek aigís “shield of Zeus or Athena,” probably from aig- (stem of aíx “goat”) + -is noun suffix, from a type of cloak or shield made of goatskin
  • Sometimes e·gis .

Other words for aegis

Words Nearby aegis

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

How to use aegis in a sentence

  • Under the aegis of the World Trade Organization, companies could feel secure that they could sell their goods all over the globe.

    The New Co-op Capitalism | Noreena Hertz | February 23, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Further, great mystery shrouds the particulars of their overthrow when the aegis of the Roman authority was withdrawn.

    The Towns of Roman Britain | James Oliver Bevan
  • Ought you not to be in a home of your own with your mother, who loves you well enough to protect you with her aegis?

    Parisians in the Country | Honore de Balzac
  • He had never contemplated the possession of power except under the aegis of some commanding chief.

    Endymion | Benjamin Disraeli
  • She was like as if she would array a battle, with a spear in her hand, and a golden helmet, and the aegis about her shoulders.

  • The demonstration of 30th March and 6th April could have been held under any other aegis us under that of Satyagrah.

    Freedom's Battle | Mahatma Gandhi

British Dictionary definitions for aegis

aegis

sometimes US egis

/ (ˈiːdʒɪs) /


noun
  1. sponsorship or protection; auspices (esp in the phrase under the aegis of)

  2. Greek myth the shield of Zeus, often represented in art as a goatskin

Origin of aegis

1
C18: from Latin, from Greek aigis shield of Zeus, perhaps related to aig-, stem of aix goat

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