What does Midas mean?
Definitions for Midas
ˈmaɪ dəsmi·das
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Midas.
Princeton's WordNet
Midasnoun
(Greek legend) the greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold
Wiktionary
Midasnoun
A king who sought and was for a while granted the cherished but subtly dangerous magical power to turn anything he touched into gold.
Wikipedia
Midas
Midas (; Greek: Μίδας) was the name of a king in Phrygia with whom several myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold. This came to be called the golden touch, or the Midas touch. The legends told about this Midas and his father Gordias, credited with founding the Phrygian capital city Gordium and tying the Gordian Knot, indicate that they were believed to have lived sometime in the 2nd millennium BC, well before the Trojan War. However, Homer does not mention Midas or Gordias, while instead mentioning two other Phrygian kings, Mygdon and Otreus. The Phrygian city Midaeum was presumably named after him, and this is probably also the Midas that according to Pausanias founded Ancyra (today known as Ankara).Another King Midas ruled Phrygia in the late 8th century BC. Most historians believe this Midas is the same person as the Mita, called king of the Mushki in Assyrian texts, who warred with Assyria and its Anatolian provinces during the same period. A third Midas is said by Herodotus to have been a member of the royal house of Phrygia in the 6th century BC.
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midas
Midas is a figure in Greek mythology known for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold, often referred to as the "Golden Touch." This comes from a story in which the god Dionysus grants him this ability as a reward, but it eventually becomes a curse as even food and drink turn to gold. In a broader context, "Midas" can refer to someone who accumulates wealth easily or has exceptional luck or skill in financial matters.
Webster Dictionary
Midasnoun
a genus of longeared South American monkeys, including numerous species of marmosets. See Marmoset
Etymology: [So called from L. Midas, a man fabled to have had ass's ears.]
Wikidata
Midas
Midas is the name of at least three members of the royal house of Phrygia. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold. This came to be called the Golden touch, or the Midas touch. The Phrygian city Midaeum was presumably named after this Midas, and this is probably also the Midas that according to Pausanias founded Ancyra. According to Aristotle, legend held that Midas died of hunger as a result of his "vain prayer" for the gold touch. The legends told about this Midas and his father Gordias, credited with founding the Phrygian capital city Gordium and tying the Gordian Knot, indicate that they were believed to have lived sometime in the 2nd millennium BC, well before the Trojan War. However, Homer does not mention Midas or Gordias, while instead mentioning two other famed Phrygian kings, Mygdon and Otreus. Another King Midas ruled Phrygia in the late 8th century BC, up until the sacking of Gordium by the Cimmerians, when he is said to have committed suicide. Most historians believe this Midas is the same person as the Mita, called king of the Mushki in Assyrian texts, who warred with Assyria and its Anatolian provinces during the same period.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Midas
mī′das, n. a fabulously rich man, from the king of Phrygia who got the power of turning everything he touched into gold, till he was like to be starved. His ears were changed by Apollo to those of an ass for deciding a musical contest in favour of Pan.
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
Midas
a king of Phrygia who, in his lust of riches, begged of Bacchus and obtained the power of turning everything he touched into gold, a gift which he prayed him to revoke when he found it affected his very meat and drink, which the god consented to do, only he must bathe in the waters of the Pactolus, the sands of which ever after were found mixed with gold; appointed umpire at a musical contest between Pan and Apollo, he preferred the pipes of the former to the lyre of the latter, who thereupon awarded him a pair of ass-ears, the which he concealed with a cap, but could not hide them from his barber, who could not retain the secret, but whispered it into a hole in the ground, around which sprang up a forest of reeds, which as the wind passed through them told the tale into the general ear, to the owner's discomfiture.
Suggested Resources
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Song lyrics by midas -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by midas on the Lyrics.com website.
Mythology
Midas
(Mi′das). A king of Phrygia, who begged of Bacchus the special gift that everything that he touched might be turned into gold. The request was granted, and as soon as he touched his food it also was turned to gold, and for fear of being starved he was compelled to ask the god to withdraw the power he had bestowed upon him. He was told to bathe in the river Pactolus. He did so, and the sands which he stood on were golden forever after. It was this same king who, being appointed to be judge in a musical contest between Apollo and Pan, gave the satyr the palm; whereupon Apollo, to show his contempt, bestowed on him a pair of asses’ ears. This gave rise to the term “Midas-eared” as a synonym for ill-judged, or indiscriminate.
“He dug a hole, and in it whispering said, What monstrous ears sprout from King Midas’ head.” (Ovid.)
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
MIDAS
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Midas is ranked #99378 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Midas surname appeared 182 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Midas.
95.6% or 174 total occurrences were White.
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Anagrams for Midas »
maids
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of Midas in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of Midas in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
Examples of Midas in a Sentence
I have become rather like King Midas, except that everything turns not into gold but into a circus.
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Translations for Midas
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