galatea

¹ American  

[gal-uh-tee-uh] / ˌgæl əˈti ə /

noun

1. a strong cotton fabric, plain or striped, for clothing.

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Galatea ² American  

[gal-uh-tee-uh] / ˌgæl əˈti ə /

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. a sea nymph who was the lover of Acis.

2. a maiden who had been an ivory statue carved by Pygmalion and brought to life by Aphrodite in response to his prayers.

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Galatea ¹ British  

/ ˌɡæləˈtɪə /

noun

1. Greek myth a statue of a maiden brought to life by Aphrodite in response to the prayers of the sculptor Pygmalion, who had fallen in love with his creation

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galatea ² British  

/ ˌɡæləˈtɪə /

noun

1. a strong twill-weave cotton fabric, striped or plain, for clothing

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Etymology

Origin of galatea

First recorded in 1880–85; named after the 19th-century British man-of-war H.M.S. Galatea; the fabric was once used for children's sailor suits

Example Sentences

All he has to do is scrawl a wobbly triumph of galatea or et in arcadia ego on a canvas, and suddenly he's up there with Roberto Calasso, if not Edward Gibbon.

From Time Magazine Archive

And with this dread belief, scarce for a moment out of their minds, did our adventurers pass the remainder of that remarkable night, the galatea galloping onward, they could not tell whither.

From Afloat in the Forest A Voyage among the Tree-Tops by Reid, Mayne

The steersman, confident of being on the right course, gave himself no further uneasiness; but, once more renewing his hold upon the steering oar, guided the galatea in the middle of the channel.

From Afloat in the Forest A Voyage among the Tree-Tops by Reid, Mayne

To escape drowning had been sufficient for their thoughts, and engrossed them for more than an hour after the galatea had gone down.

From Afloat in the Forest A Voyage among the Tree-Tops by Reid, Mayne

At this cheering command the four paddlers rushed to their places; and the galatea, impelled by their vigorous strokes, once more glided gayly over the bosom of the waters.

From Afloat in the Forest A Voyage among the Tree-Tops by Reid, Mayne