Amazon
An English word meaning a tall, strong woman or a female warrior, derived from the Amazons, the legendary all-female warrior nation of Greek mythology
The Meaning of Amazon
The word "Amazon" derives from the mythological Amazons, a nation of fearsome female warriors who lived at the edges of the known world, variously located in Asia Minor, Libya, or Scythia. The Amazons were daughters of Ares, the god of war, and governed themselves without men, meeting with neighbouring peoples only briefly to conceive children. They were skilled horse riders and archers, and several famous myths feature encounters between Amazons and Greek heroes: Heracles fought their queen Hippolyta for her girdle as one of his twelve labours, Theseus abducted Antiope, and the Amazon queen Penthesilea fought and died at Troy. The Greek etymology of the name was popularly interpreted as a-mazos, meaning "without breast," from the legend that they removed one breast to draw a bow more effectively — though modern linguists consider this a folk etymology. The word entered English to describe any formidable or physically powerful woman. The Amazon River was named by Spanish explorers who reported encounters with female warriors along its banks. The company Amazon, founded in 1994, chose the name for its associations with scale and power.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
The world's largest river and one of the world's largest companies both take their names from these mythological warrior women
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Amazonomachy
💭 conceptwar, gender
The recurring mythological battles between Greek heroes and the Amazons, depicted on temples and pottery as a symbol of civilisation's triumph over the "other."
Amazons of Themiscyra
🐉 creaturewarriors, women
The warrior women of Themiscyra on the Black Sea coast who fought, hunted, and governed independently of men, later confirmed by archaeology as based on real Scythian warrior women.
Theseus and the Amazons
💭 conceptNarrative
The Athenian king's conflict with the warrior women that brought war to the gates of Athens itself
Bias
🗡 heroCombat, leadership
Trojan or Greek warrior whose name means strength, appearing among fighters at Troy
Amazons
🗡 heroNation of warrior women
The Amazons were a legendary nation of all-female warriors who lived without men, governed themselves, and fought the greatest Greek heroes as equals.
Titan
💭 conceptLanguage and scale
An English word meaning something of enormous size, strength, or importance, derived from the Titans, the primordial gods who ruled before the Olympians
Birth of Athena
💭 conceptNarrative
The miraculous emergence of the goddess Athena, fully armed, from the head of her father Zeus
Spartan
💭 conceptLanguage and culture
An English adjective meaning austere, disciplined, or stripped of luxury and comfort, derived from the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta renowned for its militaristic way of life
Ctesios
🗡 heroWealth, possession
Minor warrior or figure associated with the Trojan War whose name means man of possessions
Goddess of Victory
💭 conceptVictory, triumph, speed, strength
Nike personifies victory in both war and peaceful competition, flying above battlefields to crown the worthy.
Athena
⚡ godGoddess of wisdom and strategic warfare
The warrior-goddess born from Zeus's head who embodied strategic intelligence, craft, and the civilising arts of the city.
Martial
💭 conceptWar, military discipline, combat
Relating to war or warriors, from Mars (Ares), the Roman god of war who gave his name to military practice.