Galatea

noun

Gal·​a·​tea ˌga-lə-ˈtē-ə How to pronounce Galatea (audio)
: a female figure sculpted by Pygmalion and given life by Aphrodite in fulfillment of his prayer

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Galateia

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Galatea was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near Galatea

Galata

Galatea

Galaţi

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Galatea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Galatea. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fawn

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2

  • a pencil broken in half on top of a test answer sheet
  • The business’s new computer system proved not to be a panacea.
Name That Thing

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games