aegis

Syllables: ae·gis/ˈiːd͡ʒɪs/

aegis noun: a mythological shield associated with the Greek deities Zeus and Athena (and their Roman counterparts Jupiter and Minerva) shown as a short cloak made of goatskin worn on the shoulders, more as an emblem of power and protection than a military shield. The aegis of Athena or Minerva is usually shown with a border of snakes and with the head of Medusa in the center.

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Noun

aegis (plural aegises or aegides)

(Greek, Roman) A mythological shield associated with the Greek deities Zeus and Athena (and their Roman counterparts Jupiter and Minerva) shown as a short cloak made of goatskin worn on the shoulders, more as an emblem of power and protection than a military shield. The aegis of Athena or Minerva is usually shown with a border of snakes and with the head of Medusa in the center.
- The goat Amalthea, which had suckled Jove, being dead, that god is said to have covered his buckler with the skin thereof, whence the appellation Aegis, from αιξ, αιγις, a she-goat. Jupiter afterwards restoring the goat to life, covered it with a new skin, and placed it among the stars. This...1790, “AEGIS”, in Bell’s New Pantheon; or, Historical Dictionary of the Gods, Demi-gods, Heroes, and Fabulous Personages of Antiquity: … In Two Volumes, volume I, London: Printed by and for J[ohn]...
- Herodotus, as proof of this origin of Minerva, says, that the Greeks had taken from the Libyan women, the dress and the ægis with which her statues were represented: this dress was of leather: the ægis, as its name implies, was simply a goatskin died red and worn over the shoulders like a mantle...1822, James Millingen, Painted Greek Vases, from Collections in Various Countries: […] (Ancient Unedited Monuments; series 1), London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 3
(figuratively) Guidance, protection; endorsement, sponsorship.
- under the aegis
- [T]hree ex-Secretaries of State for War had learnt their military theory under the ægis of Regular soldiers. Now it is an admitted fact that, broad-minded and enterprising as soldiers have frequently proved themselves in matters unconnected with the actual corporate body to which they belong, they...1913 March, “National Safety (II): The Real Obstacle to Military Reform”, in The Nineteenth Century and After: A Monthly Review Founded by James Knowles, volume LXXIII, number CCCCXXXIII, New York...
Synonyms:

auspices, protection, patronage

Proper noun capitalized: AEGIS

AEGIS

(abbreviation, acronym) Acronym of Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science.

aegis meaning in Urdu, Bengali, Telugu and Kannada

aegis in Urdu

ایجس

aegis in Bengali

এজিস

aegis in Telugu

ఎజిస్, ఏజిస్

aegis in Kannada

ಏಜಿಸ್, ಎಜಿಸ್

More languagesFewer languages

aegis in Punjabi: ਏਜਿਸ
aegis in Gujarati: એજિસ, એજીસ
aegis in Odia: ଏଜେସିସ୍, ଏଜିସ୍
aegis in Nepali: एजिस
aegis in Indonesian: naungan, lindungan

Examples of aegis in a sentence

The goat Amalthea, which had suckled Jove, being dead, that god is said to have covered his buckler with the skin thereof, whence the appellation Aegis, from αιξ, αιγις, a she-goat.1790, “AEGIS”, in Bell’s New Pantheon; or, Historical Dictionary of the Gods, Demi-gods, Heroes, and Fabulous Personages of Antiquity: … In...
The original designs were drawn up under the aegis of Mr.1950 October, “S.R. Diesel-Mechanical Shunter”, in Railway Magazine, page 688:
Under the aegis of France a group of buffer states would be born.1967, Nancy Nichols Barker, Distaff Diplomacy: The Empress Eugénie and the Foreign Policy of the Second Empire, Austin, Tx.; London...
It is a psychological aegis, a soul-slap, a permanent piece of tangible everpresent everprofound artwork meant to speak to the wearer and say things like: You don't always have to make toast.2002 July 3, Mark Morford, “Girl With The Toaster Tattoo”, in San Francisco Chronicle, archived from the original on 21 Mar 2012:

Synonyms of aegis

Forms of aegis

plural	aegises
plural	aegides
alternative form (dated)	ægis
alternative form (rare)	egis

Origin of aegis

Borrowed from Latin aegis, from Ancient Greek αἰγίς (aigís, “goatskin; shield of Athena”), probably from αἴξ (aíx, “goat”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ- (“goat”). The plural form aegides (/ˈiːd͡ʒɪdiːz/) is borrowed from Latin aegides, from Ancient Greek αἰγῐ́δες (aigĭ́des).

Phrases with aegis

Words that rhyme with aegis

Regis

Questions about aegis

What does aegis mean?: Aegis means a mythological shield associated with the Greek deities Zeus and Athena (and their Roman counterparts Jupiter and Minerva) shown as a short cloak made of goatskin worn on the shoulders, more as an emblem of power and protection than a military shield. The aegis of Athena or Minerva is usually shown with a border of snakes and with the head of Medusa in the center.
What is aegis in Urdu?: Aegis in Urdu is ایجس. See Aegis meaning in Urdu.
How do you use aegis in a sentence?: The goat Amalthea, which had suckled Jove, being dead, that god is said to have covered his buckler with the skin thereof, whence the appellation Aegis, from αιξ, αιγις, a she-goat.
What part of speech is aegis?: Aegis can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce aegis?: Aegis is pronounced /ˈiːd͡ʒɪs/ (UK).
What is the plural of aegis?: The plural of aegis is aegises.

Words near aegis in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-aegis.ogg.

Cite this entry: “aegis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/aegis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.