Elagabalus

El·a·gab·a·lus
E1L1A1G2A1B3A1L1U1S1
US/ˌɛləˈɡæbələs/

proper noun

The deity Elagabal, venerated in ancient times at Emesa in Syria (and later elsewhere in the Roman Empire), identified with a large black stone.

Similar
Heliogabalus
OriginLatin Elagabalus →
RareScrabble 13
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The deity Elagabal, venerated in ancient times at Emesa in Syria (and later elsewhere in the Roman Empire), identified with a large black stone.

    Elagabalus, who was a Sun-god and the patron deity of Emesa, was worshipped […]

    1958, Ivar Lissner, Power and Folly: The Story of the Caesars
    1 more example

    Obviously, they hoped to conceal the failure of their unhappy experiment in emperorship before, when they stressed the priesthood of Syrian Emesa's main deity Elagabalus as the key factor […]

    2019, Elias Koulakiotis, Charlotte Dunn, Political Religions in the Greco-Roman World, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, →ISBN, page 111
  2. Ancient RomeThe Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (reigned 218–222), noted for eccentricity, femininity, decadence, and disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos.

    Racial prejudice also played a part, says Icks: before coming to Rome to rule it, Elagabalus was a priest in an obscure cult in Syria that venerated a black stone meteorite – a culture that would have been deeply strange to the Romans.

    2023 November 24, Esther Addley, “Was Roman emperor Elagabalus really trans – and does it really matter?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
Heliogabalus
Also see
heliogabalus

Origin

  1. LatinElagabalus
  2. EnglishElagabalus

From Latin Elagabalus. The emperor is named for the deity, whose name is from a Semitic language and means "god of the mountain"; see the Latin entry for more.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Ἐλαγάβαλος, Ἡλιογάβαλος
  • Ἐλαγάβαλος (Elagábalos)a Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
  • Ἡλιογάβαλος (Hēliogábalos)a Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Arabic إِيل جَبَل
  • إِيل جَبَل (ʔīl jabal)a Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
French Élagabale
  • Élagabalea Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
German Elagabal
  • Elagabala Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Greek Ελαγάβαλος, Ηλιογάβαλος
  • Ελαγάβαλος (Elagávalos)a Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
  • Ηλιογάβαλος (Iliogávalos)a Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Italian Elagabalo
  • Elagabaloa Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Japanese エラガバルス
  • エラガバルス (eragabarusu)a Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Korean 엘라가발루스
  • 엘라가발루스 (ellagaballuseu)a Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Latin Elagabalus, Hēliogabalus
  • Elagabalusa Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
  • Hēliogabalusa Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Polish El Gabal, Heliogabal
  • El Gabaldeity
  • Heliogabala Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Portuguese Elagábalo
  • Elagábaloa Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Russian Элагаба́л
  • Элагаба́л (Elagabál)a Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Spanish Elagábalo, Heliogábalo
  • Elagábaloa Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
  • Heliogábaloa Roman emperor — see also Heliogabalus
Cite this entry
APA

Elagabalus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Elagabalus

MLA

“Elagabalus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Elagabalus. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Elagabalus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Elagabalus.

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