Priamid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A member of the royal family descended from Priam, the last king of ancient Troy in Greek legend
2. Someone who traces their lineage back to Priam, the mythical ruler of Troy during the Trojan War
3. A descendant of the Trojan king Priam, especially one of his sons, daughters, or their offspring in myth

Etymology: "Priamid" is a learned coinage built on the name of Priam, the last king of Troy in Homer's "Iliad" and in later Greek and Roman accounts of the Trojan War. Priam's name is generally traced to Greek "Priamos," and its meaning is uncertain: some scholars have connected it to a word for "buy" or "redeem," while others consider it non-Greek and of unknown origin. The suffix "-id," from Greek "-idēs," means "son of" or "descendant of," as in "Atreid" for the descendants of Atreus or "Pelid" for Achilles, son of Peleus. English took the form from classical scholarship rather than from everyday speech, so "Priamid" appears mainly in poetry, translations of Homer and Virgil, and literary criticism when a writer wants to name the royal house of Troy in the old manner. Its use is occasional and mostly confined to such contexts.