Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,727,604,885 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Pleiades

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
Ple·ia·des  (pl-dz, pl-)
pl.n.
1. Greek Mythology The seven daughters of Atlas (Maia, Electra, Celaeno, Taygeta, Merope, Alcyone, and Sterope), who were metamorphosed into stars.
2. An open star cluster in the constellation Taurus, consisting of several hundred stars, of which six are visible to the naked eye.

[Middle English Pliades, from Latin Plïades, from Greek Pliades.]

Pleiades1
pl n
(Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth the seven daughters of Atlas, placed as stars in the sky either to save them from the pursuit of Orion or, in another account, after they had killed themselves for grief over the death of their half-sisters the Hyades

Pleiades2
pl n
(Astronomy & Space / Celestial Objects) a young conspicuous open star cluster approximately 370 light years away in the constellation Taurus, containing several thousand stars only six or seven of which are visible to the naked eye Compare Hyades1

Pleiades  (pl-dz)
A loose collection of several hundred stars in the constellation Taurus, at least six of which are visible to the unaided eye.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.PleiadesPleiades - (Greek mythology) 7 daughters of Atlas and half-sisters of the Hyades; placed among the stars to save them from the pursuit of Orion
Greek mythology - the mythology of the ancient Greeks
nymph - (classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden; "the ancient Greeks believed that nymphs inhabited forests and bodies of water"
Asterope, Sterope - (Greek mythology) one of the 7 Pleiades
2.Pleiades - a star cluster in the constellation Taurus
Asterope, Sterope - one of the stars in the star cluster Pleiades
Taurus - a zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere near Orion; between Aries and Gemini
Translations
Pleiades [ˈplaɪədiːz] NPLPléyades fpl
Pleiades
plPlejaden pl


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Such occasions, however, rarely occur and are perhaps not characteristic of Hesiod's genius: if we would see Hesiod at his best, in his most natural vein, we must turn to such a passage as that which he himself -- according to the compiler of the "Contest of Hesiod and Homer" -- selected as best in all his work, `When the Pleiades, Atlas' daughters, begin to rise.
He enjoyed, in common with Moestlin, Kepler's professor, the rare faculty of distinguishing the satellites of Jupiter with the naked eye, and of counting fourteen of the stars in the group of Pleiades, the remotest of them being only of the ninth magnitude.
If it were worth the while to settle in those parts near to the Pleiades or the Hyades, to Aldebaran or Altair, then I was really there, or at an equal remoteness from the life which I had left behind, dwindled and twinkling with as fine a ray to my nearest neighbor, and to be seen only in moonless nights by him.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.