Gilgamesh

noun

Gil·​ga·​mesh ˈgil-gə-ˌmesh How to pronounce Gilgamesh (audio)
gil-ˈgä-
: a legendary Sumerian king and hero of the Gilgamesh Epic

Examples of Gilgamesh in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The Sumerian king, Gilgamesh, had so much power over his subjects and abused them, even their gods were appalled and reined him in. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2024 Our oldest work of epic literature tells the story of King Gilgamesh and his struggle with mortality. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2024 Its librarians preserved 30,000 of them—including the 4,000-year-old Epic of Gilgamesh. Sarah Wild, Scientific American, 16 July 2024 October 30, 2023 5 min read From Gilgamesh to Star Wars, the narrative blueprint underpinning many heroic tales can offer a powerful way to reframe experiences By Ben Rogers, Kurt Gray & Mike Christian What do Beowulf, Batman and Barbie all have in common? Ben Rogers, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023 The Gilgamesh tablet was bought by Hobby Lobby in 2014 for $1.67 million with the hope of displaying it at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., whose founder and board chair is Steve Green, Hobby Lobby’s president. Alex Greenberger For Artnews, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2021 At the end of A Forest Journey, Perlin returns to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Eugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024 Flynn, Macfarlane, and artist Dave McKean also recently signed a deal to create a graphic novel retelling the Epic of Gilgamesh, set for publication in 2027. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024 Robinson sees evidence that the Bible writers were fixated on God’s goodness in the way that this story of the flood differs from superficially similar Babylonian legends, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and Enuma Elish. James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Gilgamesh was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near Gilgamesh

Cite this Entry

“Gilgamesh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gilgamesh. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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