Brewer's: Laïs

A courtesan or Greek Hetaira. There were two of the name; the elder was the most beautiful woman of Corinth, and lived at the time of the Peloponnesian War. The beauty of the latter excited the jealousy of the Thessalonian women, who pricked her to death with their bodkins. She was contemporary with Phryne (2 syl.), her rival, and sat to Apelles as a model.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language