Sword of damocles definition

This lesson will teach you about damocles, why the sword. Sword of damocles definition of sword of damocles by. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Aug 22, 2018 the famed sword of damocles dates back to an ancient moral parable popularized by the roman philosopher cicero in his 45 b. The sword of damocles synonyms, the sword of damocles pronunciation, the sword of damocles translation, english dictionary definition of the sword of damocles. A thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune sword of damocles meaning. Definition of damocles written for english language learners from the merriamwebster learners dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and countnoncount noun labels. Sword of damocles definition of sword of damocles by merriam. Damocles definition for englishlanguage learners from. Damocles is a character who appears in a likely apocryphal anecdote commonly referred to as the sword of damocles, an allusion to the imminent and everpresent peril faced by those in positions of power.

Sword definition for englishlanguage learners from. Information and translations of the sword of damocles in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. You can complete the definition of sword of damocles given by the english definition dictionary with other english dictionaries. Sword of damocles wordreference english dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. If you say that someone has the sword of damocles hanging over their head, you mean that. Sword of damocles definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Sword of damocles definition of sword of damocles at. Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of dionysius ii of syracuse, a 4thcentury bc ruler of syracuse, sicily. Sword of damocles syndrome definition of sword of damocles. Wikipedia, lexilogos, oxford, cambridge, chambers harrap, wordreference, collins lexibase dictionaries, merriam webster. The sword of damocles that hangs over our heads is suspended by a thin and flimsy thread, indeed. Dionysius turned to him and asked damocles if he would like to try living dionysiuss life. Legend a courtier of ancient syracuse who was given a lesson in the perils to a rulers life when the king seated him at a feast under a sword hanging by a single hairorigin of damoclesclassical latin from classical greek da. With reverso you can find the english translation, definition or synonym for the sword of damocles and thousands of other words.

Mar 29, 2020 damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of dionysius ii of syracuse, a fourth century bc tyrant of syracuse. The sword of damocles is an ancient greek myth about a man who wants wealth and power. Sword of damocles definition english definition dictionary. Information about sword of damocles in the dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. If the sword of damocles hangs over someone or hangs over their head, they are in a situation in which something very bad. Apr 20, 2015 video shows what sword of damocles means. Definitions of sword of damocles, synonyms, antonyms, derivatives of sword of damocles, analogical dictionary of sword of damocles english. T20 world cup australia is unpredictable as of now. According to the ancient greek legend, the syracuse tyrant dionysius the elder late fifth to fourth century b. He so persistently praised the power and happiness of dionysius that the tyrant, in order to show the precariousness of rank and power, gave a banquet and had a sword suspended above the head of damocles by a single hair. The sword of damocles definition of the sword of damocles. Apr 12, 2018 damocles was prone to compliment the king on his army, his resources, the majesty of his rule, the abundance of his storehouses, and the greatness of his royal palace. You can complete the translation of the sword of damocles given by the englishspanish collins dictionary with other dictionaries such as.

This sword of damocles was hanging over his head and could have fallen at any time during the election and broken our campaign. The famed sword of damocles dates back to an ancient moral parable popularized by the roman philosopher cicero in his 45 b. If you say that someone has the sword of damocles hanging over their head, you mean that they are in a situation in which something very bad could happen to. Definition of sword of damocles in the idioms dictionary. Damocles definition is a courtier of ancient syracuse held to have been seated at a banquet beneath a sword hung by a single hair. Wikipedia, lexilogos, larousse dictionary, le robert, oxford, grevisse. Sword of damocles article about sword of damocles by the. View american english definition of sword of damocles. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word sword of damocles. Dictionary grammar blog school scrabble thesaurus translator quiz more resources more from collins. Change your default dictionary to american english. If the sword of damocles hangs over someone or hangs over. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging directly above his head, held only by a single horsehair.

Heres all you need to know about political murders. Damocles definition, a flatterer who, having extolled the happiness of dionysius, tyrant of syracuse, was seated at a banquet with a sword suspended over his head by a single hair to show him the perilous nature of that happiness. Damoclean sword article about damoclean sword by the. He had praised dionysius happiness, and dionysius wanted him to understand how quickly happiness can be lost. Definition of sword written for english language learners from the merriamwebster learners dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and countnoncount noun labels. The size of vessels in modern shipping is such that the sword of damocles hangs over some of the most. Definition and synonyms of sword of damocles from the online english dictionary from macmillan education. The courtier is known to history through the legend of the sword of damocles, which was related in ciceros tusculanae disputationes conversations at tusculum, book v. If you have a sword of damocles hanging over youyour head, something bad seems very likely to. Sword of damocles definition of sword of damocles by the. Sword of damocles definition and meaning collins english.

Sword of damocles a closely impending disaster sword of damocles a metaphorical expression for a constantly threatening danger during apparent wellbeing. Sword of damocles noun definition and synonyms macmillan. Writers often use it to refer to any looming threat, and while it often appears in relation to powerful people, that they are powerful usually isnt relevant to the meaning of the phrase. Sword of damocles dictionary definition sword of damocles. Clear explanations of natural written and spoken english. Definition of sword noun in oxford advanced learners dictionary. As a result, a situation that is under analysis by the icc prosecutor can serve as an important point of pressurea sword of damocles hanging over the heads of national authorities, pushing them toward the fulfillment of their obligations to investigate and prosecute crimes in violation of international law. If you have a sword of damocles hanging over youyour head, something bad seems very likely to happen to you. The sword of damocles is from book v of ciceros tusuclan disputations, a set of rhetorical exercises on philosophical topics and one of the several works of moral philosophy that cicero wrote in the years 4445 bc after he had been forced out of the senate. Impending disaster, as in the likelihood of layoffs has been a sword of damocles over the department for months. Damocles, a courtier of dionysius i of syracuse, in sicily, tyrant from 405 to 367 bce. This is the british english definition of sword of damocles.

Damocles is a character who appears in a likely apocryphal anecdote commonly referred to as the sword of damocles, an. Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of dionysius ii of syracuse, a fourth century bc tyrant of syracuse. The latter interpretation is more relevant when it comes to use of sword of damocles in this century and the phrase has been modish for the last few years. A courtier said to have lived at the court of dionysius ii of syracuse. Nov 27, 2018 definition from wiktionary, the free dictionary. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, dionysius was truly fortunate.

A state of longterm uncertainty, stress and anxiety experienced by the patients and families of children treated for leukemia, as only 50% are cured and up to 10% of successfully treated patients suffer futureoften lymphoproliferativemalignancies, resulting in a state of uncertainty fancifully likened to that of damocles, the mythical figure who was forced to sit under a sword suspended. Greek courtier to dionysius the elder, tyrant of syracuse, who according to legend was forced to sit at a banquet table under a sword. The sword of damocles article about the sword of damocles. Kennedy gave a speech before the united nations in which he said that every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of damocles. Jul 09, 2017 click show more for definition of damocles. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage.