Bucephalus

B3U1C3E1P3H4A1L1U1S1

proper noun

The warhorse of Alexander the Great.

OriginLatin Būcephalus ← Ancient Greek Βουκέφαλος, Βουκεφάλας →
Scrabble 19
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Bucephalas

  1. historicalThe warhorse of Alexander the Great.
nounBucephalus (plural Bucephaluses)

plural Bucephaluses · alternative Bucephalas

  1. humorousAny horse used for riding.

    the Bucephalus which he bestrode

    1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC
  2. figurativelyobsoleteThat which is the greatest of its kind.

    It will suffice to say that when I started on my journey into the realms of lexicography, I regarded Kʻang Hsi as a Bucephalus on whose tail — 蠅附龭尾 — a foreign fly might safely get an advantageous lift.

    1892, Herbert A. Giles, A Chinese–English Dictionary, 1st edition

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekΒουκέφαλος, Βουκεφάλας
  2. LatinBūcephalus
  3. EnglishBucephalus

Borrowed from Latin Būcephalus, from Ancient Greek Βουκέφαλος, Βουκεφάλας (Bouképhalos, Boukephálas), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”) + κεφᾰλή (kephălḗ, “head”) + -ᾱς (-ās).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Βουκεφᾰ́λᾱς
  • Βουκεφᾰ́λᾱς (Boukephắlās)the warhorse of Alexander the Great
Danish Bukephalos
  • Bukephalosthe warhorse of Alexander the Great
Finnish Bukefalos
  • Bukefalosthe warhorse of Alexander the Great
Hungarian Bukephalosz
  • Bukephaloszthe warhorse of Alexander the Great
Latin Būcephalus
  • Būcephalusthe warhorse of Alexander the Great
Polish Bucefał
  • Bucefałthe warhorse of Alexander the Great
Portuguese Bucéfalo
  • Bucéfalothe warhorse of Alexander the Great
Russian Буцефал
  • Буцефал (Bucefal)the warhorse of Alexander the Great
Cite this entry
APA

Bucephalus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bucephalus

MLA

“Bucephalus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bucephalus. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bucephalus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bucephalus.

Source: Bucephalus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.