dido

¹

[ dahy-doh ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural di·dos, di·does.

1. a mischievous trick; prank; antic.
2. a bauble or trifle.

Dido

²

[ dahy-doh ]

noun

1. Phoenician Elissa. Classical Mythology. a queen of Carthage who killed herself when abandoned by Aeneas.
2. a female given name.

Dido

¹

/ ˈdaɪdəʊ /

noun

1. classical myth a princess of Tyre who founded Carthage and became its queen. Virgil tells of her suicide when abandoned by her lover Aeneas

dido

²

/ ˈdaɪdəʊ /

noun

1. an antic; prank; trick

Dido

1. In Roman mythology , the founder and queen of Carthage in north Africa . She committed suicide in grief over the departure of her lover, the hero Aeneas .

Notes

Dido is an image of the unhappy or unrequited lover.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dido¹

First recorded in 1800–10; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of dido¹

C19: originally US: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Romance goes afoul in Abby Rosebrock’s ‘Dido of Idaho’ at Echo Theater Company as offbeat comedy takes a brutal turn.

From Los Angeles Times

“Dido of Idaho,” an offbeat comedy by Abby Rosebrock at the Echo Theater Company, takes a shockingly dark turn.

From Los Angeles Times

The play, presented in the round in a characteristically vibrant Echo Theater Company production under the acute direction of Abigail Deser, starts with Nora and Michael in bed listening to an aria in Henry Purcell’s opera “Dido and Aeneas.”

From Los Angeles Times

Dido’s love for Aeneas, of course, ends tragically, with Dido killing herself after her beloved abandons her to fulfill his destiny as the founder of Rome.

From Los Angeles Times

What happens in “Dido of Idaho” sometimes strains credulity.

From Los Angeles Times