What does "isis" mean?
Any coral of the genus Isis, or family Isididae, composed of joints of white, stony coral, alternating with flexible, horny joints.
Isis
/ˈaɪ.sɪs/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any coral of the genus Isis, or family Isididae, composed of joints of white, stony coral, alternating with flexible, horny joints.
- Grammar: isis is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: amen-ra, anubis, aset, ashtoreth.
- Usage evidence: Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris.
How to use "isis"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "isis" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "isis" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "isis" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "isis" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "isis" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "amen-ra" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "isis", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any coral of the genus Isis, or family Isididae, composed of joints of white, stony coral, alternating with flexible, horny joints.
"[…] the numerous families of coral, which, under the form of tubular, starry, or stony stems, are denominated tubipores, madrepores, and isises."
Proper Noun
- 1 An ancient Egyptian goddess, the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, worshiped as the ideal mother and wife and as the matron of nature and magic; also worshiped by (some) Greeks during the Hellenistic period and featured in Greek mythology, and by Romans involved in what was categorized as the Cult of Isis. Egyptian
"Grant me profane kiss / Oh Isis, mother ov all / Thy lips like morphine / Teasing my slumbering heart"
- 2 The River Thames between its source and its confluence with the River Thame at Dorchester on Thames. UK
"Dorchester is not on the Thames, yet belongs to it certainly, for the Thame, which combines with the Isis to form the Thames, flows past it."
- 3 Ellipsis of HM Prison Isis. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 4 Alternative letter-case form of ISIS. alt-of
"The terrorist threat is growing, the politicians and intelligence services say, due in part to the degradation of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and the rising numbers of Isis fighters returning to Europe."
- 5 A Salafist group mainly active in Iraq and Syria, where it has proclaimed itself as a (unrecognized) state and later caliphate.
"They didn't know the room was too big, because they didn't have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS? I don't think it's gonna happen."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 42 Isis, a main belt asteroid.
- 7 A female given name from Egyptian or Ancient Greek. uncommon
"Isis had crawled under the center table with its red plush cover with little round balls for fringe."
Example
"Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "isis"?
Common synonyms include: amen-ra, anubis, aset, ashtoreth, astarte, baal.
How do you use "isis" in a sentence?
Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris.
How do you pronounce "isis"?
Pronounced /ˈaɪ.sɪs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Learned borrowing from Latin Īsis from Ancient Greek Ἶσις (Îsis), from Egyptian st-t:H8-B1 (ꜣst).
Etymology 2
Back-formation of the Latin Tamesis (“Thames”), from the assumption that the word was derived from a compound of Thame (“A tributary of the Thames”) and Isis. The prison was named after the river.
Etymology 3
From the genus name.
Etymology 4
An acronym of one English translation of one of the group's Arabic-language names, الدَّوْلَة الْإِسْلَامِيَّة فِي الْعِرَاق وَٱلشَّام (ad-dawla l-ʔislāmiyya fī l-ʕirāq wa-š-šām, literally “the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria”). Compare ISIL, which translates الشَّام (aš-šām) as “the Levant” rather than “Syria”.