laocoon Meaning, Definition & Usage
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noun (Greek mythology) the priest of Apollo who warned the Trojans to beware of Greeks bearing gifts when they wanted to accept the Trojan Horse; a god who favored the Greeks (Poseidon or Athena) sent snakes who coiled around Laocoon and his two twin sons killing them
WordNet
La*oc"o*ön noun
(Also<
- Laocoon
- Laocoön
)
Etymology
L., fr. Gr.Definitions
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(Class. Myth.) A priest of Apollo, during the Trojan war. (See 2.) -
(Sculp.) A marble group in the Vatican at Rome, representing the priest Laocoön, with his sons, infolded in the coils of two serpents, as described by Virgil.