electra
electra Lexical Profile
• noun
In Greek mythology, the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, who helped her brother Orestes avenge their father's murder by killing their mother.
"The tragic story of Electra was dramatized by the ancient Greek playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides."
A blue-white giant star in the constellation Taurus that is one of the brightest visible members of the Pleiades open star cluster, named after the mythological Oceanid.
"Using binoculars on a clear autumn night, stargazers can easily spot Electra shining within the Pleiades cluster."
The plural form of electrum; naturally occurring or artificial alloys of gold and silver used in ancient coinage and metalwork.
"Chemical analysis of the ancient coins revealed that the various electra differed significantly in their silver-to-gold ratios."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin Electra, from Ancient Greek Ἠλέκτρα (Ēléktra, literally "amber" or "shining"), as well as the neuter plural form of Latin electrum ("amber; alloy of gold and silver").
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.