Pleiades

[ plee-uh-deez, plahy- ]
/ ˈpli əˌdiz, ˈplaɪ- /

plural noun

Classical Mythology. seven daughters of Atlas and half sisters of the Hyades, placed among the stars to save them from the pursuit of Orion. One of them (the Lost Pleiad) hides, either from grief or shame.
Astronomy. a conspicuous group or cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus, commonly spoken of as seven, though only six are visible.

Origin of Pleiades

1350–1400; Middle English Pliades < Latin Plīades < Greek Pleíades (singular Pleías); akin to pleîn to sail

Definition for pleiades (2 of 2)

Pleiad
[ plee-uh d, plahy-uh d ]
/ ˈpli əd, ˈplaɪ əd /

noun

any of the Pleiades.
French Plé·iade [pley-yad] /pleɪˈyad/. a group of seven French poets of the latter half of the 16th century.
(usually lowercase) any group of eminent or brilliant persons or things, especially when seven in number.

Example sentences from the Web for pleiades

British Dictionary definitions for pleiades (1 of 4)

Pleiades 1
/ (ˈplaɪəˌdiːz) /

pl n

Greek myth the seven daughters of Atlas, placed as stars in the sky either to save them from the pursuit of Orion or, in another account, after they had killed themselves for grief over the death of their half-sisters the Hyades

British Dictionary definitions for pleiades (2 of 4)

Pleiades 2
/ (ˈplaɪəˌdiːz) /

pl n

a young conspicuous open star cluster approximately 370 light years away in the constellation Taurus, containing several thousand stars only six or seven of which are visible to the naked eye Compare Hyades 1

British Dictionary definitions for pleiades (3 of 4)

pleiad
/ (ˈplaɪəd) /

noun

a brilliant or talented group, esp one with seven members

Word Origin for pleiad

C16: originally French Pléiade, name given by Pierre de Ronsard to himself and six other poets after a group of Alexandrian Greek poets who were called this after the Pleiades 1

British Dictionary definitions for pleiades (4 of 4)

Pleiad
/ (ˈplaɪəd) /

noun

one of the Pleiades (stars or daughters of Atlas)

Scientific definitions for pleiades

Pleiades
[ plē′ə-dēz′ ]

A loose collection of several hundred stars in the constellation Taurus, at least six of which are visible to the unaided eye.