pantheon

noun

pan·​the·​on ˈpan(t)-thē-ˌän 

-ən

plural pantheons

1

a

: the gods of a people

especially : the officially recognized gods

Two other deities from the vast pantheon of ancient Mesopotamia deserve special mention. These are the sinister powers of the underworld, Ereshkigal and Nergal.

—John Gray

Climbing the crumbling stone steps, I noticed a fat monkey sitting on the outside wall of the temple, next to a stone carving of Rangda, the witch and troublemaker in the complex Balinese pantheon of frightening demons and protective demigods.

—Don Lattin

b

: a temple dedicated to all the gods

Note: Generic use of this sense is rare. The capitalized form Pantheon is the common name of a domed temple in Rome that was begun in 27 b.c. by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian circa 118-128 a.d. It was dedicated in 609 a.d. as the Church of Santa Maria Rotonda, or Santa Maria ad Martyres.

2

: a group of illustrious or notable persons or things

In his mid-seventies, Robert Redford is still hanging on to the good looks and easy charm that have earned him a firm place in the pantheon of American film legends …

—Stephanie Green

Robert Strauss also occupies a place in the pantheon of lawyer-lobbyist money raisers …

—Elizabeth Drew

It was a strike of such purity and importance it immediately earned a place in the pantheon of the game's greatest 72nd hole shots …

—Alan Shipnuck

Of the historic, formal French Quarter restaurants—a pantheon that includes Antoine's, Galatoire's and Brennan's—Arnaud's was the first to reopen, on Dec. 1.

—Mitch Frank

3

: a building serving as the burial place of or containing memorials to the famous dead of a nation

Note: Generic use of this sense is rare. The capitalized form Pantheon is used as or in the English-language names of various buildings around the world that are memorials to or resting places for the dead, perhaps most famously the Pantheon (French: Panthéon) of Paris, which was begun circa 1757 by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot as the Church of Sainte-Geneviève.

Did you know?

Some of the earliest uses of this word in the English language refer to that most famous Pantheon, the circular domed temple built in Rome more than 19 centuries ago (and still standing). We can easily identify the origins of the temple's name, which the Romans borrowed from the Greek word for a temple honoring all their gods. That Greek word, pantheion, combines pan- ("all") and theos ("god"). Later on, in English, "all the gods" was used to mean just that—a pantheon could be a collective of gods (as "the Egyptian pantheon"). We stop short of worshiping outstanding men and women as actual gods, of course, but nevertheless, in the 19th century we also began using pantheon as a word for any eminent company of the highly venerated.

Examples of pantheon in a Sentence

the Greek and Roman pantheons

Recent Examples on the Web

Monday’s 75-60 win over the Purdue Boilermakers wrapped up UConn’s second successive NCAA men’s basketball national championship title, cementing the Huskies in the pantheon of great college teams. —Ben Morse, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024

Bradley Schaefer, a professor astronomy at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, said in most pre-modern cultures, the sun god was among the most powerful deities in the pantheon. —Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024

In the pantheon of fashion photography, Paolo Roversi occupies a place all his own. —Tina Isaac-Goizé, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024

Some believe that Mäkelä is, in fact, a new god in the musical pantheon, deserving of whatever offers come his way. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024

All told, the concert attested to Bartók’s ascension, four years after his death, to the classical pantheon. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

These routine points earlier this month surpassed the all-time college basketball scoring record, for both men and women, launching Clark into the pantheon of the sport. —Alex Leeds Matthews and Ben Morse, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024

An eventual entry into the pantheon of hyperkinetic pulp creators doesn’t feel like a reach at all. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024

Innes says this brought the chance to redesign the brand’s famous pantheon grille, penning one that is shorter, wider and which leans backwards for a more dynamic look. —Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English Panteon, a temple at Rome, from Latin Pantheon, from Greek pantheion temple of all the gods, from neuter of pantheios of all gods, from pan- + theos god

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

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