Ganymede (redirected from Catamitus)

Ganymede, in astronomy

Ganymede (găn`ēmēd'), in astronomy, one of the moons, or natural satellites, of Jupiter; the largest natural satellite in the solar system, it is larger than the planet Mercury.

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Ganymede, in Greek mythology

Ganymede, in Greek mythology, a youth of great beauty. He was carried off by Zeus to be cupbearer to the gods.

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Ganymede

Ganymede and Zeus in the form of an eagle, antique marble statue; in the Vatican Museum

(credit: Anderson—Alinari from Art Resource/EB Inc.)

In Greek legend, the son of King Tros (or Laomedon) of Troy. Because of his unusual beauty, he was carried off by Zeus disguised as an eagle, and he became cupbearer to the gods. Other versions of the legend trace his abduction to other gods or to King Minos of Crete. The story has long been held to have homosexual implications, and the word catamite is derived from his Latin name, Catamitus.

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Ganymede [′gan·ə‚mēd]

(astronomy)

A satellite of Jupiter orbiting at a mean distance of 664,000 miles (1,071,000 kilometers). Also known as Jupiter III.

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Ganymede

beautiful shepherd entrances Jupiter. [Rom. Lit.: Metamorphoses]

See : Homosexuality

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Ganymede

mortal lad, taken by Zeus to be cupbearer to the gods. [Gk. Myth.: Howe, 106]

See : Servant

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Ganymede

in ancient Greek mythology, a beautiful Trojan youth who because of his unusual beauty was abducted by Zeus and taken to Mount Olympus, where he became the favorite of Zeus and cupbearer to the gods. Around the fourth century B.C., a motif of the abduction of Ganymede by an eagle appears. The eagle in late classical tradition is identified with Zeus himself. The abduction of Ganymede is a frequent subject in the fine arts—the works of Leochares, Correggio, Rembrandt, Thorvaldsen, and others.

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Ganymede

the largest satellite of the planet Jupiter (measuring 5,150 km in diameter) and fourth in distance from the planet (1,070,000 km). Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s four large satellites, was discovered in 1610 by the Italian scientist Galileo.