Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A hero and king of Athens who slew the Minotaur and united Attica.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A legendary Ancient Greek hero most famous for defeating the minotaur in the labyrinth of Crete.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (Greek mythology) a hero and king of Athens who was noted for his many great deeds: killed Procrustes and the Minotaur and defeated the Amazons and united Attica

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek Θησεύς (Thēseus). His name comes from the same root as θεσμός (thesmos), Greek for “institution”.

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Examples

  • Claude Shannon's clever electromechanical mouse, which he called Theseus, was one of the earliest attempts to teach a machine to learn and one of the first experiments in artificial intelligence.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • According to Variety, Pinto will portray Phaedra, an oracle priestess who must join Theseus (played by Henry Cavill) on his quest to prevent the cataclysmic war from erupting.

    Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto Cast in Tarsem’s War of the Gods | /Film 2010

  • Hyperion was one of the 12 Titans (but never a "king"), and Phaedra does appear in Theseus's myths, but it seems to me they're just mixing up a couple of stories through each other.

    Stephen Dorff Joins Tarsem’s War of the Gods | /Film 2010

  • Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto plays Phaedra, an oracle priestess who must join Theseus (played by Henry Cavill) on his quest to prevent the cataclysmic war from erupting.

    Stephen Dorff Joins Tarsem’s War of the Gods | /Film 2010

  • The Theseus image and video search project Pandia (Nov 28) Theseus is definitely not about developing a European Google.

    Internet News: Theseus 2007

  • A son was born to Aethra, whom she called Theseus, and who was carefully trained and educated by his grandfather Pittheus.

    Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome E.M. Berens

  • Scientists have now launched a European Union research programme called Theseus to investigate how our coastlines should be managed.

    euronews 2010

  • Getulia, whereby he calleth himself half a Numidian and half a Getulian: and Sidonius named him the Platonian Madaurence: his father called Theseus had passed all offices of dignity in his countrey with much honour.

    The Golden Asse 1566

  • To call Theseus hither is my herald to the city gone, that he may rid the land of that which grieveth them, or loose these my suppliant bonds, with pious observance of the gods 'will; for such as are discreet amongst women should in all cases invoke the aid of men.

    The Suppliants 2008

  • To call Theseus hither is my herald to the city gone, that he may rid the land of that which grieveth them, or loose these my suppliant bonds, with pious observance of the gods 'will; for such as are discreet amongst women should in all cases invoke the aid of men.

    The Suppliants 2008

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