Phaedra
//ˈfiːdɹə// name
name ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Proper Noun
- 1 The wife of Theseus, who falls in love with but is spurned by her stepson Hippolytus, then commits suicide, but is the cause of his later death (details vary between versions). Greek
"We notice that Racine's Phaedra, like Euripides', displays high moral dignity because she considers her passion for Hippolytus to be abominable."
- 2 A female given name from Ancient Greek. rare
- 3 The asteroid 174 Phaedra.
Example
More examples"We notice that Racine's Phaedra, like Euripides', displays high moral dignity because she considers her passion for Hippolytus to be abominable."
Etymology
From Latin Phaedra, from Ancient Greek Φαίδρᾱ (Phaídrā). The myth has been retold several times, in plays (in classical times in Euripides's Hippolytus and Seneca the Younger's Phaedra, later in Racine's Phèdre), and more recently in other media.
Related phrases
More for "phaedra"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.