Ptolemy
[ tol-uh-mee ]
/ ˈtɒl ə mi /
noun, plural Ptol·e·mies for 2.
Claudius Ptolemaeus,flourished a.d. 127–151,
Hellenistic mathematician, astronomer, and geographer in Alexandria.
any of the kings of the Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt 323–30 b.c.
Definition for ptolemy (2 of 3)
Ptolemy I
noun
surnamed Soter,367?–280 b.c.,
ruler of Egypt 323–285: founder of Macedonian dynasty in Egypt.
Definition for ptolemy (3 of 3)
Ptolemy II
noun
surnamed Philadelphus,309?–247? b.c.,
king of Egypt 285–247? (son of Ptolemy I).
Example sentences from the Web for ptolemy
British Dictionary definitions for ptolemy (1 of 3)
Ptolemy
/ (ˈtɒlɪmɪ) /
noun
Latin name Claudius Ptolemaeus. 2nd century ad, Greek astronomer, mathematician, and geographer. His Geography was the standard geographical textbook until the discoveries of the 15th century. His system of astronomy (see Ptolemaic system), as expounded in the Almagest, remained undisputed until the Copernican system was evolved
British Dictionary definitions for ptolemy (2 of 3)
Ptolemy I
noun
called Ptolemy Soter. ?367–283 bc, king of Egypt (323–285 bc), a general of Alexander the Great, who obtained Egypt on Alexander's death and founded the Ptolemaic dynasty: his capital Alexandria became the centre of Greek culture
British Dictionary definitions for ptolemy (3 of 3)
Ptolemy II
noun
called Philadelphus. 309–246 bc, the son of Ptolemy I; king of Egypt (285–246). Under his rule the power, prosperity, and culture of Egypt was at its height
Scientific definitions for ptolemy
Ptolemy
[ tŏl′ə-mē ]
See Note at Copernicus.
Greek astronomer and mathematician who based his astronomy on the belief that all heavenly bodies revolved around Earth. Ptolemy's model of the solar system endured until the 16th century when Nicolaus Copernicus proposed that the heavenly bodies in the solar system orbited the Sun.
Cultural definitions for ptolemy (1 of 2)
Ptolemy
[ (tol-uh-mee) ]
An ancient Greek astronomer, living in Egypt (see also Egypt), who proposed a way of calculating the movements of the planets on the assumption that they, along with the sun and the stars, were embedded in clear spheres that revolved around the Earth. The system of Ptolemy, called the Ptolemaic universe, prevailed in astronomy for nearly fifteen hundred years, until the modern model of the solar system, with the sun at the center and the planets in motion, was developed from the ideas of Copernicus.