noun
Iliad
IH-lee-ad
noun
1
Homer's ancient Greek epic poem about the final weeks of the Trojan War, centred on the rage of Achilles.
"She read the Iliad in translation for her classics course."
"The professor compared the battle scene to something out of the Iliad."
2
By extension, any long, dramatic, or tragic story of struggle.
"His account of the divorce turned into a two-hour Iliad of grievances."
"The company's turnaround was practically a corporate Iliad."
How to Use Iliad
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHomer's epic about the Trojan War — or, loosely, any sprawling saga of conflict.
Common pairings
the Iliad and the Odyssey
a modern-day Iliad
Word Forms
Iliads plural
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Etymology
From Latin Iliadis, ultimately from Greek Ilias, "the poem of Ilion" (Ilion being another name for Troy).