Ozymandias

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A person once famous and respected who has since been utterly forgotten.

Pronunciation

/ˌɒziˈmændiəs/

Word forms

Ozymandias Ozymandiases

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Ὀσυμανδύας (Osumandúas), from Demotic Egyptian wsr-mꜣꜥ.t-rꜥ, smn-rꜥ, ns-mn-rꜥ, from Egyptian wsr-mꜣꜥt-rꜥ, the first part of the throne name of pharaoh Ramesses II. Modern usage derives from the poem Ozymandias, about a proud king whose empire and memory have long since crumbled into obscurity, written by Percy Bysshe Shelley and inspired by Diodorus Siculus's description of a colossal statue in the Ramesseum.

Derived words

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