<Zeus (ancient GreekΖεύς: see note), the name of the supreme god in the ancient Greek pantheon.Compare earlier Jupitern.…
<Zeus (ancient GreekΖεύς: see note), the name of the supreme god in the ancient Greek pantheon.Compare earlier Jupitern.
Notes
For the Indo-European cognates of ancient GreekΖεύς (genitive Διός; Mycenaean Greekdi-we (dative), di-wo (genitive)), see the etymological note at Tuesdayn., and compare classical LatinIov- (see Joven.), used as the oblique stem of IuppiterJupitern.
Meaning & use
1.
1587–
(The name of) the chief god of the ancient Greeks, corresponding to the Roman Jupiter (Jupitern. 1a).
The son of Cronus (whom he dethroned) and Rhea, and husband of Hera, Zeus was the protector and ruler of humankind, the dispenser of good and evil, and the god of weather and atmospheric phenomena (such as rain and thunder).
1587
Also vnder the name of Zeus or Iupiter [French le nom de Ζεὺς ou Iuppiter], he sayth of him as followeth.
Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding, translation of P. de Mornay, Trewnesse of Christian Religion iii. 40
1623
He [sc. God] was that Ceres which filled their gardens with Corne, hee that Zeus which viuificated and made nature fertile.
E. Chaloner, Sixe Sermons 225
1678
The more intelligent of the Greekish Pagans, did frequently understand by Zeus, that Supreme Unmade Deity, who was the Maker of the World.
R. Cudworth, True Intellectual System of Universei. iv. 258
1706
The old Egyptian Theologers..did not absolutely confound or identifie Zeus or Isis with the Universal Matter.
R. Brocklesby, Explication of Gospel-theismi. ix. 158/2
1794
The literate Greeks worshipped their Jupiter, Zeus or Upatos.
J. Hare, Ess. Necessity Revealed Religion 146
1831
Hades, the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, was lord of the subterrane region, the abode of the dead.
T. Keightley, Mythology of Ancient Greece & Italy 68
1871
By Zeus, said Ctesippus, interrupting, I only wish that you would give me some proof.
B. Jowett, translation of Plato, Dialoguesvol. I. 211
1911
In a cave of Cyllene Maia became by Zeus the mother of the god Hermes.
Encyclopædia Britannicavol. XVII. 427/2
1971
You remember in the Iliad when..Zeus deplores the sight of deathless beings involved in the pointless horrors of morality?
I. Murdoch, Accidental Man 93
2007
Apollo..was the son of Zeus and a Titaness called Leto.
allusively A paramount ruling force or being in the universe; a person who displays characteristics usually associated with Zeus, such as supreme power, voracious sexual appetite, etc.
1721
No Michael, Zeus, or Peter Paul, Coul'd e'er produce among 'em all, So glorious an Original.
E. Ward, Merry Travellers: Part I 7
1849
‘I have just been to see our Zeus or Pluto, whichever you like to call him.’ ‘The Emperor!’
M. Norman, translation of L. Rellstab, Eighteen Hundred & Twelvevol. I.ii. iii. 89
1876
The Zeus of Weimar himself [sc. Goethe] by no means hesitated to occupy the post of a Prince's Minister.
Fraser's Magazine May 668/1
1878
Instead of blaming herself for the issue, she laid the fault upon the shoulders of some indistinct Zeus or colossal Ozymandias who had framed her situation and ruled her lot.
T. Hardy in Harper's Magazine October 763/1
1964
He himself remained at his post at the pleasure of the Zeus of the Communist Olympus, i.e. Stalin in his Kremlin.
E. Lengyel, From Prison to Power vii. 269
2008
So what aphrodisiacs work best for the wife of this modern-day Zeus?
Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.
Vowels
iːfleece
ihappy
ɪkit
ɛdress
atrap, bath
ɑːstart, palm, bath
ɒlot
ɔːthought, force
ʌstrut
ʊfoot
uːgoose
əletter
əːnurse
ɪənear
ɛːsquare
ʊəcure
eɪface
ʌɪpride
aʊmouth
əʊgoat
ɔɪvoice
ãgratin
ɒ̃salon
ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)
Other symbols
The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.
Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.
Vowels
ifleece, happy
ɪkit
ɛdress
ætrap, bath
ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
ɑrstart
ɔcloth, thought
ɔrnorth, force
ʊfoot
ugoose
əstrut, comma
ərnurse, letter
ɪ(ə)rnear
ɛ(ə)rsquare
ʊ(ə)rcure
eɪface
aɪpride
aʊmouth
oʊgoat
ɔɪvoice
ɑ̃gratin
æ̃salon
ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)
Other symbols
The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.
Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.
Consonants
b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values
gguy
jjay
yyore
chchore
khloch
shshore
ththaw
dhthee
zhbeige
Vowels
atrap
ahpalm
airsquare
arstart
arrcarry (British only)
awthought
ayface
a(ng)gratin
edress
eefleece
eerdeer
errmerry
ikit
ighpride
irrmirror
olot (British only)
ohgoat
oogoose
oorcure
orforce
orrsorry (British only)
owmouth
oyvoice
o(ng)salon
ustrut
uhletter
urnurse
urrhurry
uufoot
Compounds & derived words
1839–
General attributive, objective, instrumental, etc.
1839
Cretan Zeus-worship.
T. Mitchell in Aristophanes, Frogs Add. 411
a1861
You are the hatefullest to me of the Zeus-fed princes.
A. H. Clough, Poems & Prose Remains (1869) vol. II. 464
1875
The hapless Zeus-born offspring.
R. Browning, Aristophanes' Apology 285
1880
Legends of warlike deeds done by Zeus-nourished kings.
R. C. Jebb in Encyclopædia Britannicavol. XI. 140/1
1904
The principal Zeus-cult of the Peloponnese was that on Mt. Lycaeus in Arcadia.
Classical Reviewvol. 18 87/2
1963
An aristocracy of fairhaired Zeus-worshipping Acaeans.
Times Literary Supplement 19 April 261/1
2010
It was thronged with painters, sculptors, and Zeus-browed critics.