Orpheus

noun

Or·​pheus ˈȯr-ˌfyüs  -fē-əs 

: a poet and musician in Greek mythology who almost rescues his wife Eurydice from Hades by charming Pluto and Persephone with his lyre

Examples of Orpheus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In August, Kravitz told Meyers that her mom's pet snake, Orpheus, had gotten loose and slithered into a small hole in the corner of the bathroom. — Bryan West, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025

Like Orpheus, Danielle looks back one final time in the orchard of her family home. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025

Ambitious artistic director, James Figueras (Duris), is reviving Orpheus, the mythic opera by Ernest Dupré, who is known as the Phantom of the Opera. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2025

There are references to other stories coursing through Hamnet, and one of them is the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, which Will tells Agnes during one of their first meetings. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, borrowed from Greek Orpheús

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above