Bucephalus

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin Būcephalus, from Ancient Greek Βουκέφαλος, Βουκεφάλας (Bouképhalos, Boukephálas), from βοῦς (boûs, ox) +‎ κεφᾰλή (kephalḗ, head) +‎ -ᾱς (-ās).

Proper noun

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Bucephalus

  1. (historical) The warhorse of Alexander the Great.

Translations

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Further reading

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Noun

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Bucephalus (plural Bucephaluses)

  1. (humorous) Any horse used for riding.
  2. (figurative, obsolete) That which is the greatest of its kind.
    • 1892, Herbert A. Giles, A Chinese–English Dictionary, 1st edition:
      It will suffice to say that when I started on my journey into the realms of lexicography, I regarded Kʻang Hsi as a Bucephalus on whose tail — 蠅附龭尾 — a foreign fly might safely get an advantageous lift.