penelope Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
  2. noun a genus of guans (turkey-like arboreal birds valued as game and food birds)
    genus Penelope.

WordNet

Pe*nel"o*pe noun
Etymology
From. L. Penelope, the wife of Ulysses, the hero of the Odyssey, Gr. .
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A genus of curassows, including the guans.

Webster 1913