Orpheus

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Ὀρφεύς (Orpheús), built from an uncertain root with the -εύς (-eús) suffix. Perhaps root-cognate to Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “orphan”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹfi.əs/, /ˈɔɹfjuːs/ (compare to Zeus, Odysseus, Morpheus, Proteus)

Proper noun

Orpheus

1. (Greek mythology) A Thracian musician and poet, who failed to retrieve his wife Eurydice from Hades.
2. (rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek.

Derived terms

• Orphic
• Orphism

Translations

the musician who searched for Eurydice

• Albanian: Orfeu m
• Arabic: أُورْفِيُوس m (ʔūrfiyūs)
• Armenian: Օրփեոս (hy) (Ōrpʻeos)
• Basque: Orfeo
• Belarusian: Арфе́й m (Arfjéj)
• Bengali: ওর্ফেউস (ōrpheus), অর্ফিয়াস (orphiẏaś)
• Breton: Orfeüs m
• Bulgarian: Орфей m (Orfej)
• Catalan: Orfeu m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 俄耳甫斯 (É'ěrfǔsī)

• Czech: Orfeus m
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: Orpheus m
• Esperanto: Orfeo (eo)
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: Orfeus
• French: Orphée (fr) m
• Friulian: please add this translation if you can
• Galician: Orfeo (gl) m
• Georgian: ორფეოსი (orpeosi)
• German: Orpheus (de) m

  Central Franconian: Orpheus (Kölsch)

• Greek: Ορφέας (el) m (Orféas), Ορφεύς (el) m (Orféfs)

  Ancient: Ὀρφεύς m (Orpheús)

• Gujarati: ઓર્ફિયસ m (orphiyas)
• Hebrew: אורפיאוס m
• Hungarian: Orpheusz
• Indonesian: Orfeus
• Interlingua: Orpheo
• Inuktitut: ᐆᕐᐱᐅᔅ (oorpios)
• Irish: Oirféas m
• Italian: Orfeo (it) m
• Japanese: オルフェウス (Orufeusu)
• Kannada: ಆರ್ಫೀಯಸ್ (ārphīyas)
• Korean: 오르페우스 (oreupe'useu)
• Latin: Orphe͡us m
• Latvian: Orfejs m
• Lithuanian: Orfėjas m
• Lombard: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: Орфеј m (Orfej)
• Marathi: ऑर्फियस m (ŏrphiyas)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: Orfeus m

  Nynorsk: Orfevs m

• Occitan: Orfèu m
• Piedmontese: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: Orfeusz m
• Portuguese: Orfeu (pt) m
• Romagnol: please add this translation if you can
• Romanian: Orfeu m
• Russian: Орфе́й (ru) m (Orféj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: О̀рфеј m

  Roman: Òrfej (sh) m

• Slovak: Orfeus m
• Slovene: Orfej (sl) m
• Spanish: Orfeo m
• Swedish: Orfeus c
• Tatar: Orfey
• Telugu: ఓర్ఫియాస్ (ōrphiyās)
• Turkish: Orfe
• Ukrainian: Орфе́й m (Orféj)

male given name

• Hebrew: אורפיאוס m
• Italian: Orfeo (it)
• Marathi: ऑर्फियस m (ŏrphiyas)

Further reading

• Orpheus in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• shore up, uphroes, upshore

Cebuano

Etymology

From English Orpheus, from Ancient Greek.

Proper noun

Orpheus

1. (Greek mythology) Orpheus
2. a male given name from Ancient Greek

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Orpheus.

Latin

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ὀρφεύς (Orpheús).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈor.pʰeu̯s/, [ˈɔrpʰɛu̯s̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈor.feu̯s/, [ˈɔrfeu̯s]

Proper noun

Orphe͡us m sg (genitive Orpheī or Orpheos); second declension

1. Orpheus

Declension

Second-declension noun, singular only.

Case	Singular
Nominative	Orphe͡us
Genitive	Orpheī Orpheos
Dative	Orpheō
Accusative	Orpheum Orphea
Ablative	Orpheō
Vocative	Orphe͡u

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ὄρφειος (Órpheios).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /orˈpʰeː.us/, [ɔrˈpʰeːʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /orˈfe.us/, [orˈfɛːus]

Adjective

Orphēus (feminine Orphēa, neuter Orphēum); first/second-declension adjective

1. Orphean

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	Orphēus	Orphēa	Orphēum		Orphēī	Orphēae	Orphēa
Genitive	Orphēī	Orphēae	Orphēī		Orphēōrum	Orphēārum	Orphēōrum
Dative	Orphēō		Orphēō		Orphēīs
Accusative	Orphēum	Orphēam	Orphēum		Orphēōs	Orphēās	Orphēa
Ablative	Orphēō	Orphēā	Orphēō		Orphēīs
Vocative	Orphēe	Orphēa	Orphēum		Orphēī	Orphēae	Orphēa

Related terms

• Orphaicus
• Orphicus

References

• “Orpheus (dissyl.)”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Orpheus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 1094.