Helen

American  

[hel-uhn] / ˈhɛl ən /

noun

1. Also called Helen of Troy.  Classical Mythology. the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus whose abduction by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War.

2. a female given name.

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Helen British  

/ ˈhɛlɪn /

noun

1. Greek myth the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose abduction by Paris from her husband Menelaus caused the Trojan War

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Etymology

Origin of Helen

< French Hélène < Latin Helena < Greek Helénē, of obscure origin, probably the name of a pre-Greek vegetation goddess; often linked by folk etymology with helénē, helánē torch, St. Elmo's fire, an unrelated word

Example Sentences

Chair Helen Beardshall said the shop used to be lucky to take £400 per week.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Written for “The Boys of Summer,” a Broadway musical that debuted in 1938, it was recorded by artists like Mel Tormé, Helen Humes and, most famously, The Mamas and the Papas.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

Surely the Ritz Cinema is the theater Herriot describes as he begins his courtship of Helen Alderson; a blue circle marker proudly declares its date of establishment as a picture house, 1912.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

“The ongoing conflict in the Middle East pushed consumer confidence to new lows, prompting consumers to make fewer trips to the shops,” Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

I tell myself I’ll have an excuse for Helen by the end of shift in the morning.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse