HOW TO PRONOUNCE
thermopylae
/θɚˈmɑpɪli/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does thermopylae mean?
proper noun
- A narrow pass on the east-central coast of Greece adjacent to the Maliakos Gulf, northwest of Athens. Its name is derived from its hot sulphur springs. It was the site of the Battle of Thermopylae, at which the Spartan King Leonidas stood off, for a time, the Persian armies of Xerxes.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/θɚˈmɑpɪli/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
For Antiochus, receiving a defeat at Thermopylae, not only fled the field, but hoisted sail instantly for Asia.
They were first stopped at Thermopylae by Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans.
More book examples (3)
Midas, with all his millions, could no more do the work than he could win the battle of Waterloo, or hold the Pass of Thermopylae.
Thus, Thermopylae was of this classification because the possession of it, even for a few days only, meant holding the entire invading army in check and thus gaining invaluable time.
Zdrzhinski, the officer with the long mustache, spoke grandiloquently of the Saltánov dam being “a Russian Thermopylae,” and of how a deed worthy of antiquity had been performed by General Raévski.