Ptolemies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The line of Macedonian Greek kings who ruled Egypt from 305 to 30 BC ; several historical people who bore the name Ptolemy, including the famous astronomer and geographer
2. Members of the Macedonian royal house that governed Egypt after Alexander the Great died ; multiple individuals called Ptolemy, such as the celebrated Alexandrian astronomer and geographer
3. The Greek dynasty founded by a general of Alexander that held power in Egypt for nearly three centuries ; a number of men named Ptolemy, among them the influential Alexandrian scholar

Etymology: The Ptolemies were the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt from 305 BC until the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC. The name comes from Ptolemy, the Greek form of a personal name that was carried by Ptolemy I Soter, a general under Alexander the Great. After Alexander died in 323 BC, Ptolemy took control of Egypt and eventually declared himself king, founding a line that kept the name for nearly three centuries. The name itself is Greek, and its meaning is usually given as something like "warlike" or "ready for war," from the Greek root "polemos," meaning war, which also appears in words such as "polemic." Because every king in the line took the name Ptolemy, the dynasty became known by it, and English writers adopted the plural form to refer to the whole family.