Icarus

[ik-er-uh s, ahy-ker-] /ˈɪk ər əs, ˈaɪ kər-/

noun

Also, Ikaros. Classical Mythology. a youth who attempted to escape from Crete with wings of wax and feathers but flew so high that his wings melted from the heat of the sun, and he plunged to his death in the sea.

Astronomy. an asteroid whose eccentric orbit brings it closer to the sun than any other known asteroid.

British Dictionary definitions for Icarus

Icarus

/ˈɪkərəs; ˈaɪ-/

noun

(Greek myth) the son of Daedalus, with whom he escaped from Crete, flying with wings made of wax and feathers. Heedless of his father's warning he flew too near the sun, causing the wax to melt, and fell into the Aegean and drowned

Word Origin and History for Icarus

son of Daedalus in Greek mythology; he flew too high on artificial wings and so plunged to his death. Used allusively from 1580s. The name is of unknown origin.

Icarus in Science

Icarus

(ĭk'ər-əs)
A small asteroid with a highly eccentric, Earth-crossing orbit that takes it to within 30 million km (19 million mi) of the Sun, or closer than the planet Mercury. In 1968 Icarus approached within 6 million km (4 million mi) of the Earth. See more at asteroid.

Icarus in Culture

Icarus [(ik-uh-ruhs)]

In classical mythology, the son of Daedalus. Icarus died tragically while using artificial wings, invented by his father, to escape from the Labyrinth. When Icarus flew too close to the sun, it melted the wax that held the wings together, and he fell into the sea.