Daedalus

noun

Dae·​da·​lus ˈde-də-ləs How to pronounce Daedalus (audio) ˈdē- How to pronounce Daedalus (audio)
: the legendary builder of the Cretan labyrinth who makes wings to enable himself and his son Icarus to escape imprisonment
Daedalian adjective
or Daedalean

Examples of Daedalus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Minotaur, a ferocious creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man, was trapped in a maze built by the Greek architect Daedalus. Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Sep. 2024 By: Naomi Oreskes Daedalus, Vol. 149, No. 4, Witnessing Climate Change (Fall 2020), pp. Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 10 May 2024 In the Greek fable of Icarus and Daedalus, the former ignores his father’s warnings about hubris and, in particular, flying too close to the sun. Jeff Robbins, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024 Advertisement Greek mythology tells us about the labyrinth, an elaborate structure built by the legendary Daedalus to hold a mythical half man and half bull creature known as the Minotaur. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2024 Browse the old bookstores—New Dominion Bookshop, Blue Whale Books, and the three-story book lover's wonderland, Daedalus Books—and on Saturday mornings during the warm months, swing by the Charlottesville City Market. Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2023 Senior conservator at Daedalus Joshua Craine and Liz Vizza, president of Friends Of The Public Garden looked over the sculpture from atop the scaffolding. Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2023 By 2000 Hess and Walden launched their own Daedalus Cellars label. Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2022 Seeking to escape, the engineer in Daedalus gets the idea to build he and his son wings of feather and wax. Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2014

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Daedalus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Daidalos

First Known Use

1546, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Daedalus was in 1546

Dictionary Entries Near Daedalus

Cite this Entry

“Daedalus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Daedalus. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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