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Philomela

Syllabification: (Phil·o·me·la)
Pronunciation: /ˌfiləˈmēlə/
(also Philomel /ˈfiləˌmel/)
Greek Mythology
Definition of Philomela
  • the daughter of Pandion, king of Athens. She was turned into a swallow and her sister Procne into a nightingale (or, in Latin versions, into a nightingale with Procne the swallow) when they were being pursued by the cruel Tereus, who had married Procne and raped Philomela.

Origin:

earlier as philomene, from medieval Latin philomena, from Latin philomela 'nightingale', from Greek philomēla

Philomela in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of Philomela in the British & World English dictionary

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