Serapis

American

[si-rey-pis] / sɪˈreɪ pɪs /

noun

Also a Greco-Egyptian deity combining the attributes of Osiris and Apis, identified in Egypt with the Ptolemies: later worshiped throughout the Greek and Roman empires.
(italics) the British man-of-war captured by John Paul Jones in 1779.

Serapis British

/ ˈsɛrəpɪs /

noun

a Graeco-Egyptian god combining attributes of Apis and Osiris

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Serapis was an extraordinary deity demonstrating how astute Egypt’s Greek rulers were.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

In addition, Ptolemy had a temple dedicated to the new god Serapis built in the capital city.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The original Serapis banner is lost to history.

From Washington Post • Jun. 8, 2021

“Victorious, John Paul Jones commandeered Serapis and sailed her to Holland for repairs,” explains the U.S.

From Fox News • Dec. 11, 2018

Serapis was an amalgam of Apis, the native bull god, and Osiris, the anthropomorphic lord of the dead—an instant “designer god” fashioned by the Ptolemies to give Greeks and Egyptians a deity in common.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023