Theseus

noun

: a king of Athens in Greek mythology who kills Procrustes and the Minotaur before defeating the Amazons and marrying their queen

Examples of Theseus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Just don’t try to reason the Ship of Theseus conundrum with it. Nina Huang, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2021 The story also has ties to Greek mythology with Theseus and the Minotaur. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 5 Jan. 2024 And just as there’s no right answer to the riddle of Theseus’s Ship, perhaps there’s none to the question of what qualifies as a martini. Becky Hughes, New York Times, 13 July 2023 Once upon a time, the legend goes, Theseus slew the Minotaur and sailed triumphantly home to Athens on a wooden ship. Amy X. Wang Grant Cornett, New York Times, 4 May 2023 This is known as the Ship of Theseus question, after a famous ship in ancient Greece which underwent so many repairs down the years that not one original component remained. Calum Chace, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023 And what if Theseus came bearing not a sword of just retribution but of tragic deliverance? Vivian Lam, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2023 The meatiest roles are the man-phobic Antiope and her warrior sister, Ippolita, who secretly falls for Hercules’ heroic pal, Teseo (Theseus). Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2023 Other great myths and their heroes—Perseus, Theseus, Jason, even Hercules—come in for similarly irreverent treatment. Daniel Mendelsohn, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Theseus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Thēseus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Theseus was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near Theseus

Cite this Entry

“Theseus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Theseus. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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