pantheon

noun

pan·​the·​on ˈpan(t)-thē-ˌän How to pronounce pantheon (audio)
-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 The last graves would not be removed until 1947, but most had already been carried off to two of the city’s haphazard pantheons: Evergreen, in Boyle Heights, founded in 1877, and Rosedale-Angelus, opened in 1884 in the then-faraway neighborhood of West Adams. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 With a preponderance of experimental, mathematical and numerical evidence, MBL seemed destined to enter the pantheon of phase transitions alongside magnetism and superconductivity. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 There’s a new luxury train on the horizon that is aiming to enter the pantheon of classic trains and iconic rail journeys like the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the Royal Scotsman, and Africa’s Rovos Rail. Everett Potter, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Polyrhythmic drums keep the connection to the earth while their lyrics rise up in praise of the orishas, the deities of the Yoruba pantheon. Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024 Commander Mackenzie isn’t a member of the pantheon of American naval heroes either. Howard Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 Due to the Ducati model’s lightness paired with its 224 hp V-4 motor, one that gets boosted to an eye-watering 234 hp with the race exhaust, the Superleggera V4 gets firmly placed in the pantheon of sportbike legends. Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 But the film, like its predecessors in the pantheon of great food movies, ennobles the preoccupation by revealing it as a proxy. ‘The Taste of Things’: Juliette Binoche is Mona Lisa in the kitchen Cooking, as Dodin and Eugenie demonstrate, is an act of love. Emily Heil, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 While those two mid-twentysomethings have rather stalled in their mission to enter the pantheon of major winners, Sinner looks ready to push on. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pantheon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of pantheon was before the 12th century

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Dictionary Entries Near pantheon

Cite this Entry

“Pantheon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pantheon. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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