Serapis
noun
Se·ra·pis
sə-ˈrā-pəs 
: an Egyptian god combining attributes of Osiris and Apis and having a widespread cult in Ptolemaic Egypt and ancient Greece
Examples of Serapis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On this day in 1779: John Paul Jones led the American ship Bonhomme Richard to victory against the British warship HMS Serapis in the Battle of Flamborough Head.
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The Arizona Republic, 23 Sep. 2024
The ruins of Canopus suggest that the site boasted wonderful structures as well, including sanctuaries for the gods Osiris and Serapis.
—Joshua Learn, Discover Magazine, 2 Nov. 2023
There is at first glance little to see, and though the site contains the ruins of some once-impressive structures—a temple of Serapis, a Roman aromatics distillery, and a fine bathhouse—the walls now rarely rise above knee-high.
—William Dalrymple, The New York Review of Books, 30 Mar. 2023
The many rooms of the palazzo are each named with rather bizarre and wondrous monikers: Serapis, Hortus Deliciarum, Ganimede’s Meadow, Maison de l’Amour.
—Vogue, 12 July 2021
With the Prussians in Egypt and Napoleon’s nephew Louis-Napoleon on his way to the throne in Paris, in 1850 Auguste Mariette of the Louvre set out to discover the Serapeum, the monument to the god Serapis.
—Dominic Green, WSJ, 23 Oct. 2020
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The Arizona Republic, 23 Sep. 2024
The ruins of Canopus suggest that the site boasted wonderful structures as well, including sanctuaries for the gods Osiris and Serapis.
—Joshua Learn, Discover Magazine, 2 Nov. 2023
There is at first glance little to see, and though the site contains the ruins of some once-impressive structures—a temple of Serapis, a Roman aromatics distillery, and a fine bathhouse—the walls now rarely rise above knee-high.
—William Dalrymple, The New York Review of Books, 30 Mar. 2023
The many rooms of the palazzo are each named with rather bizarre and wondrous monikers: Serapis, Hortus Deliciarum, Ganimede’s Meadow, Maison de l’Amour.
—Vogue, 12 July 2021
With the Prussians in Egypt and Napoleon’s nephew Louis-Napoleon on his way to the throne in Paris, in 1850 Auguste Mariette of the Louvre set out to discover the Serapeum, the monument to the god Serapis.
—Dominic Green, WSJ, 23 Oct. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Serapis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Serapis. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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