Elagabalus

//ˌɛləˈɡæbələs// name

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Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The deity Elagabal, venerated in ancient times at Emesa in Syria (and later elsewhere in the Roman Empire), identified with a large black stone.

    "Elagabalus, who was a Sun-god and the patron deity of Emesa, was worshipped […]"

  2. 2
    The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (reigned 218–222), noted for eccentricity, femininity, decadence, and disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos. Ancient-Rome

    "Racial prejudice also played a part, says Icks: before coming to Rome to rule it, Elagabalus was a priest in an obscure cult in Syria that venerated a black stone meteorite – a culture that would have been deeply strange to the Romans."

Synonyms

All synonyms
heliogabalus

Example

More examples

"Elagabalus, who was a Sun-god and the patron deity of Emesa, was worshipped […]"

Etymology

From Latin Elagabalus. The emperor is named for the deity, whose name is from a Semitic language and means "god of the mountain"; see the Latin entry for more.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.