Meanings
pharos1
plural pharoses · plural pharoi
- historicalAn ancient lighthouse or beacon to guide sailors.
He […] built a Pharos, or Light House.
1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures. Explain'd and exemplify'd in several dissertations - figurativelyThat which stands out; a shining light.
The house was not very felicitously titled, said many: it was no academic pharos.
1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 39
Pharos2
- A small island off Alexandria where the Lighthouse of Alexandria was located.
- The Lighthouse of Alexandria, located on the island Pharos
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
pharos · noun
- Ancient GreekΦάρος
- Englishpharos
From Ancient Greek Φάρος (Pháros).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Pharos · proper noun
- LatinPharos
- Ancient GreekΦάρος
- EnglishPharos
Derived from Ancient Greek Φάρος (Pháros) via Latin Pharos. Doublet of Hvar.
More words from Ancient Greek, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Φάρος
- Φάρος (Pháros)island
French Pharos
- Pharosisland
German Pharos, Pharus
- Pharosisland
- Pharusisland
Irish Faras, Oileán Fharas
- Farasisland
- Oileán Fharasisland
Latin Pharos, Pharus
- Pharosisland
- Pharusisland
Polish Faros
- Farosisland
Russian Фа́рос
- Фа́рос (Fáros)island
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
pharos. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pharos
“pharos.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pharos. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pharos,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pharos.
Source: pharos on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.