Gilgamesh

noun

Gil·​ga·​mesh ˈgil-gə-ˌmesh 

gil-ˈgä-

: a legendary Sumerian king and hero of the Gilgamesh Epic

Examples of Gilgamesh in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Flynn, Macfarlane, and artist Dave McKean also recently signed a deal to create a graphic novel retelling the Epic of Gilgamesh, set for publication in 2027. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024

Robinson sees evidence that the Bible writers were fixated on God’s goodness in the way that this story of the flood differs from superficially similar Babylonian legends, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and Enuma Elish. —James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024

The first major city there was Uruk, the home of Gilgamesh, which at its height in 2900 B.C.E. may have had up to 80,000 residents. —Rebecca Boyle, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2024

This timeless narrative structure, first described by mythologist Joseph Campbell in 1949, describes ancient epics, such as the Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh, and modern favorites, including the Harry Potter, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings series. —Ben Rogers, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a Sumerian poem that is considered one of the earliest works of narrative poetry in the world. —NBC News, 23 Sep. 2021

This is Holt’s eight charity collaboration to be released, and this lager, made with partner Gilgamesh of Salem, will benefit the Marion-Polk Food Share. —oregonlive, 21 July 2023

Upcoming collabs being planned include Ale Apothecary in Bend, Gilgamesh Brewing in Salem, plus another Portland effort to support the Women’s Craft Fermentation Alliance. . . . —oregonlive, 31 Mar. 2023

That the Epic of Gilgamesh exists at all is close to a miracle, and has much to do with the bibliophilia of the last great Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal (reigned 669–627 bce), as well as the curatorial talents of desert sand. —Robert MacFarlane, The New York Review of Books, 5 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above