Orion

Ori·on

noun \ə-ˈrī-ən, ȯ-\

Definition of ORION

1

[Latin (genitive Orionis)] : a constellation on the equator east of Taurus represented on charts by the figure of a hunter with belt and sword

2

: a giant hunter slain by Artemis in Greek mythology

Origin of ORION

Latin, from Greek Ōriōn

First Known Use: 14th century

Rhymes with ORION

Amphion, anion, Biscayan, Ixion, Visayan

Orion

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In Greek mythology, a powerful hunter. He was sometimes said to be the son of Poseidon. He drove the wild beasts out of the island of Chios and fell in love with Merope, daughter of the island's king. Disapproving of Orion, the king had him blinded, but his vision was restored by the rays of the rising sun. He later went to Crete to live and hunt with Artemis. Some legends hold that he was killed by Artemis or Apollo out of jealousy; another tells that he was fatally bitten by a scorpion. After his death the gods placed him in the sky as a constellation.