Achilles
[ə'kili:z]
Definition
(noun.) a mythical Greek hero of the Iliad; a foremost Greek warrior at the siege of Troy; when he was a baby his mother tried to make him immortal by bathing him in a magical river but the heel by which she held him remained vulnerable--his `Achilles' heel'.
Editor: Tess--From WordNet
Examples
- The arch and the Achilles statue were up since he had last been in Piccadilly; a hundred changes had occurred which his eye and mind vaguely noted. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Were not Achilles and Ajax both in love with their servant maids? William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- As to nerves, Mr Merdle is of a cool temperament, and not a sensitive man: is about as invulnerable, I should say, as Achilles. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- Achilles, perhaps, observed the Rector, fascinated by the clear-cut features of the young man,—the godlike Achilles. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- Achilles, and Helen of Troy. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- Achilles did not declare himself until they gave him the sword. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Example: The selfishness of Achilles, as remarked by the poet Homer, occasioned a thousand woes to the Greeks--muri Achaiois alge etheke--(Hom. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
Edited by Joanne