English

Alternative forms

• Persephonë

Proper noun

Triptolemus and Persephone (1)

Persephone

1. (Greek mythology) A minor deity, the queen of the Underworld/Hades, and goddess of the seasons and vegetation. Originally named Kore/Core, she is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter; and the wife of Hades. Her Roman counterpart is Proserpina.
2. (astronomy) Short for 399 Persephone, a main belt asteroid.
3. (rare) A female given name.
   • 2008, Gaynor McGrath, Lemniscate, Transit Lounge Publishing (2011), ISBN 9781921924149 (e-book), chapter 23, 376:

     ‘My name is Persephone’ she says, ‘but in England everyone calls me Seph.’

Translations

Latin

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek Περσεφόνη ‎(Persephónē).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /perˈse.pʰo.neː/, [pɛrˈsɛ.pʰɔ.neː]

Proper noun

Persephonē f ‎(genitive Persephonēs or Persephonae); first declension

1. Persephone (Greek goddess)
2. (transferred sense) Death (personified)

Declension

First declension, Greek type.

Synonyms

• (Persephone [Greek goddess]): Prōserpina (Roman counterpart)

References

• Persĕphŏnē in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Persephone in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “Persĕphŏnē”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette, page 1,159/1.
• “Persephonē” on page 1,354/1 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)

Portuguese

Proper noun

Persephone f

1. Archaic spelling of Perséfone.