ephebe
See also: éphèbe
English edit
Etymology edit
Via Latin ephēbus, from Ancient Greek ἔφηβος (éphēbos, “adolescent”), from ἐπί (epí, “early”) + ἥβη (hḗbē, “manhood”), late 19th c.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ephebe (plural ephebes)
- (historical) An 18- to 20-year-old man in ancient Greece undergoing military training.
- (by extension) A young man; a youth.
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 9: Scylla and Charybdis]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 190:
- His glance touched their faces lightly as he smiled, a blond ephebe. Tame essence of [Oscar] Wilde.
- 1993, Anthony Burgess, A Dead Man in Deptford:
- Indeed Tom was much still the ephebe, sharing boys with his friend though talking of the gravity of marriage.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
References edit
- ^ “ephebe”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Latin edit
Noun edit
ephēbe m