Cleopatra

American  

[klee-uh-pa-truh, -pah-, -pey-] / ˌkli əˈpæ trə, -ˈpɑ-, -ˈpeɪ- /

noun

1. 69–30 b.c., queen of Egypt 51–49, 48–30.

2. a female given name: from Greek words meaning “fame” and “father.”

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cleopatra ¹ British  

/ -ˈpɑː-, ˌkliːəˈpætrə /

noun

1. a yellow butterfly, Gonepteryx cleopatra, the male of which has its wings flushed with orange

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Cleopatra ² British  

/ -ˈpɑː-, ˌkliːəˈpætrə /

noun

1. ?69–30 _bc , queen of Egypt (51–30), renowned for her beauty: the mistress of Julius Caesar and later of Mark Antony. She killed herself with an asp to avoid capture by Octavian (Augustus)

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Cleopatra Cultural  

1. A queen of Egypt (see also Egypt) in the first century b.c., famous for her beauty, charm, and luxurious living. She lived for some time in Rome with Julius Caesar. For several years after Caesar was assassinated, she lived in Egypt with the Roman politician Mark Antony. Antony killed himself on hearing a false report that she was dead. After Antony's death, Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing an asp, a poisonous snake, to bite her.

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Discover More

The play Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare, dramatizes Cleopatra's affair with Antony and her suicide.

Example Sentences

Co-opting the space of luxury perfume and fashion ads, 10 colossal photographic representations of feminine idols, conjured by a single name — Cleopatra, Aphrodite, Godiva, Sheba — gracefully bare themselves.

From New York Times

In her victim impact statement, Pendleton’s mother, Cleopatra Cowley, said she and her family are still trying to rebuild their lives.

From Seattle Times

And even if we accept this thin sourcing, it probably wasn’t Cleopatra’s devotion to science that would have compelled her to commit such monstrous acts.

From New York Times

When you think about Egypt and Cleopatra, and the fact that she was a Ptolemy — the Ptolemys ruled Egypt for 300 years and then, over.

From New York Times

Cleopatra Veloutsou, professor of brand management at the Adam Smith Business School at Glasgow University, says these technological developments come as movie and TV advertising firms are trying to catch up with their online peers.

From BBC