Dam·o·cles (d m  -kl z ) fl. fourth century b.c. Greek courtier to Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse, who according to legend was forced to sit at a banquet table under a sword suspended by a single hair to demonstrate the precariousness of a king's fortunes. |
Damocles [ˈdæməˌkliːz]
n
(Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) Classical legend a sycophant forced by Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, to sit under a sword suspended by a hair to demonstrate that being a king was not the happy state Damocles had said it was See also Sword of Damocles
Damoclean adj
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| Noun | 1. | Damocles - the Greek courtier to Dionysius the Elder who (according to legend) was condemned to sit under a naked sword that was suspended by a hair in order to demonstrate to him that being a king was not the happy state Damocles had said it was (4th century BC) |
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