Daphnis

noun

Daph·​nis ˈdaf-nəs How to pronounce Daphnis (audio)
: a Sicilian shepherd renowned in Greek mythology as the inventor of pastoral poetry

Examples of Daphnis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On the left is the narrower Keeler Gap, where the even tinier moon Daphnis orbits Saturn. Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 2 Aug. 2010 Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2 , Gabriela Ortiz’s Altar de Bronce, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and Debussy’s La Mer, featuring Music Director Rafael Payare and trumpeter Pacho Flores. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Dec. 2023 Claudel took to sculpture in her teens, making busts of famous historical figures (Napoleon, Bismarck) and riffing on mythological and biblical themes (Daphnis and Chloe, David and Goliath). Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Daphnis.' 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

Latin, from Greek

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Daphnis was in 1563

Dictionary Entries Near Daphnis

Cite this Entry

“Daphnis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Daphnis. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Daphnis

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!