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Peg·a·sus

(pĕgə-səs)

1. Greek Mythology A winged horse that with a stroke of his hoof caused the fountain Hippocrene to spring forth from Mount Helicon.

2. A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Aquarius and Andromeda.

[Middle English, from Latin Pēgasus, from Greek Pēgasos, from an Anatolian source such as Luwian Piḫaššašša-, epithet of the Anatolian storm god (corresponding to Zeus in Greek myth) perhaps meaning “of lightning” or “of strength,” from Luwian *piḫaš- (attested in Hieroglyphic Luwian pihas-), perhaps meaning “lightning, splendor” or “strength”.]

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Pegasus

4th-century BC Greek coin

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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