Laocoön

/leɪˈɒkɵ.ɒn//leɪˈɒkoʊˌɒn//leɪˈɒkəˌwɒn/

proper noun

A Trojan priest of Poseidon (or Apollo, depending on the author), whose rules he had defied (or whom he had otherwise offended), who tried to warn his fellow citizens against the Trojan horse. He was killed for this, along with his two sons, by giant snakes sent by Minerva (or Poseidon, or Apollo).

OriginLatin Lāocoōn ← Ancient Greek Λᾱοκόων →
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Laocoon · alternative Laokoon

  1. Greekhuman sciencesA Trojan priest of Poseidon (or Apollo, depending on the author), whose rules he had defied (or whom he had otherwise offended), who tried to warn his fellow citizens against the Trojan horse. He was killed for this, along with his two sons, by giant snakes sent by Minerva (or Poseidon, or Apollo).
  2. Greekhuman sciencesAn Argonaut, son of Porthaon.

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekΛᾱοκόων
  2. LatinLāocoōn
  3. EnglishLaocoön

From Latin Lāocoōn, from Ancient Greek Λᾱοκόων (Lāokóōn).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Λαοκόων
  • Λαοκόων (Laokóōn)Trojan or Argonaut
Bulgarian Лаоко́он
  • Лаоко́он (Laokóon)Trojan or Argonaut
Catalan Laocoont
  • LaocoontTrojan or Argonaut
Chinese Mandarin 拉奥孔
  • 拉奥孔 (Lā'àokǒng)Trojan or Argonaut
Czech Láokoón
  • LáokoónTrojan or Argonaut
Danish Laokoon
  • LaokoonTrojan or Argonaut
Dutch Laocoön
  • LaocoönTrojan or Argonaut
Esperanto Laokoonto
  • LaokoontoTrojan or Argonaut
Finnish Laokoon
  • LaokoonTrojan or Argonaut
French Laocoon
  • LaocoonTrojan or Argonaut
German Laokoon
  • LaokoonTrojan or Argonaut
Greek Λαοκόων
  • Λαοκόων (Laokóon)Trojan or Argonaut
Hebrew לאוקואון
  • לאוקואוןTrojan or Argonaut
Hungarian Laokoón
  • LaokoónTrojan or Argonaut
Indonesian Laokoon
  • LaokoonTrojan or Argonaut
Italian Laocoonte
  • LaocoonteTrojan or Argonaut
Japanese ラーオコオーン
  • ラーオコオーン (Rāokoōn)Trojan or Argonaut
Korean 라오콘
  • 라오콘 (Raokon)Trojan or Argonaut
Latin Lāocoōn
  • LāocoōnTrojan or Argonaut
Lithuanian Laokoontas
  • LaokoontasTrojan or Argonaut
Norwegian Bokmål Laokoon
  • LaokoonTrojan or Argonaut
Persian لائوکوئون
  • لائوکوئونTrojan or Argonaut
Polish Laokoon
  • LaokoonTrojan or Argonaut
Portuguese Laocoonte
  • LaocoonteTrojan or Argonaut
Romanian Laocoon
  • LaocoonTrojan or Argonaut
Russian Лаоко́онт
  • Лаоко́онт (Laokóont)Trojan or Argonaut
Slovak Laokoón
  • LaokoónTrojan or Argonaut
Spanish Laocoonte
  • LaocoonteTrojan or Argonaut
Swedish Laokoon
  • LaokoonTrojan or Argonaut
Thai เลอาโคอัน
  • เลอาโคอัน (layaakoan)Trojan or Argonaut
Ukrainian Лаоко́он
  • Лаоко́он (Laokóon)Trojan or Argonaut
Cite this entry
APA

Laocoön. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Laoco%C3%B6n

MLA

“Laocoön.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Laoco%C3%B6n. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Laocoön,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Laoco%C3%B6n.

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