pantheon

plural pantheons · plural rare panthea

1. lifestyleA temple dedicated to all the gods.

   Synonyms: pantheum

2. human sciencesAll the gods of a particular people or religion, particularly the ancient Greek gods residing on Olympus, considered as a group.

   Every act of a Roman, from birth to death, from dawn to night, was controlled and supervised by some presiding deity. Man was thus virtually a symbolic puppet in the hands of the Roman pantheon.

   1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 209

3. broadlyA category or classification denoting the most honored persons of a group.

   Usain Bolt seals his place in the pantheon with stunning fifth gold

   2012 September 8, Richard Williams, “Sports - Olypics - Usain Bolt”, in The Guardian

   2 more examples

   Mahomes, Kelce, head coach Andy Reid and other key contributors to the Chiefs’ recent run can now put themselves alongside NFL legends in the pantheon of the sport’s greatest.

   2024 February 12, Ben Morse and Steve Almasy, “Kansas City Chiefs defeat San Francisco 49ers in OT in Super Bowl LVIII, become first back-to-back NFL champions in 19 years”, in CNN.com

   One side depicts Dionysos, the Greek god of wine, and the hero Herakles on Mount Olympus; the reverse shows members of the Olympian pantheon, including Zeus, Athena, and Nike.

   2026 July 9, Tessa Solomon, “New York Investigators Return 59 Looted Antiquities to Italy, Iraq, and Indonesia”, in ARTnews

1. The circular Roman temple dedicated to all the gods in 27 BCE in Rome, rebuilt c. 125 CE and later consecrated as a church.