ajax

ajax — noun

1. in Greek myth, a tall and very strong warrior who fought for the Greeks at Troy,

1.noun
Definition

in Greek myth, a tall and very strong warrior who fought for the Greeks at Troy, the son of Telamon; after losing a contest with Odysseus over the dead Achilles' armour, he goes mad and kills himself with his own sword.

Example

Sophocles wrote a famous play about Ajax, who falls on his sword after the shame of losing the armour.

proper noun: capitalized, no article

In the Iliad, Ajax holds back the Trojans almost single-handedly while the other Greeks retreat to their ships.

appears as subject of action verbs in narrative

Common collocations
  • the suicide of Ajax
  • the madness of Ajax
  • Ajax and Odysseus
  • the shield of Ajax
Synonyms
  • Aias

    the original Greek spelling, used in some scholarly translations

  • Telamonian Ajax

    fuller name marking him as the son of Telamon

Usage Note

Often called Ajax the Great or Greater Ajax to distinguish him from the smaller, faster hero of sense 2. Treated as a proper noun: always capitalized and used without 'the' or 'a'.

Common Mistakes

The Ajax fought bravely at Troy.
Ajax fought bravely at Troy.
proper names of mythological people take no article in English.

2. in Greek myth, a smaller but very fast Greek warrior at Troy, the son of Oileus,

2.noun
Definition

in Greek myth, a smaller but very fast Greek warrior at Troy, the son of Oileus, known for his speed in running and for the cruel things he did when the city of Troy fell.

Example

Homer praises Ajax for his speed, saying that only Achilles could outrun him on foot.

noun phrase: speed of Ajax

When Troy was burning, Ajax dragged Cassandra from the temple of Athena, and the goddess never forgave him.

Common collocations
  • Ajax the Lesser
  • son of Oileus
  • the speed of Ajax
  • the crime of Ajax
Synonyms

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 by the epithets 'the Lesser' or 'son of Oileus'. This Ajax is famous for speed and impiety, while the Greater Ajax is famous for size and strength.

Common Mistakes

Ajax the Lesser killed himself with his sword.
Ajax the Greater killed himself with his sword.
the suicide story belongs to the Telamonian Ajax (sense 1), not this one.

Word family

  • Ajacian
    adjective

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four names all belong to leading warriors in the Trojan War, but English readers use them for different qualities. Ajax stands for raw physical strength and stubborn courage, the man who holds the line by sheer size. Achilles is the figure of speed, beauty, and tragic anger; he is the unmatched champion of the Greeks. Odysseus represents cleverness and trickery rather than muscle, which is why he wins the contest for Achilles' armour against Ajax. Hector, on the Trojan side, embodies duty and family love. So a critic might say, 'She fought like Ajax,' meaning brave but blunt, but 'She fought like Achilles,' meaning brilliant and feared, and 'She argued like Odysseus,' meaning crafty rather than strong.

Ajax ↗AchillesOdysseusHector

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Ajax the Great
  • Ajax the Lesser
  • the shield of Ajax
  • the madness of Ajax
  • the death of Ajax

Phrases

  • like Ajax
  • as strong as Ajax

Prepositions

  • of Ajax
  • by Ajax

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

English Ajax comes from Latin Aiax, which is itself the Roman form of Greek Aias. The Greek name has been linked by ancient writers to the cry 'aiai', a sound of grief, since both Homeric heroes named Aias meet sad ends. The name reached English through medieval Latin retellings of Homer and through Renaissance translations of Greek tragedy, and has been used in English literature since at least the late 1300s.