Doryphoros

/ˌdɔːrɪˈfɔːrɔs/ noun

Definition

A celebrated ancient Greek sculpture of a young athlete carrying a spear, created by Polykleitos in the 5th century BCE and considered a masterpiece of classical proportions.

Etymology

From Greek 'doryphoros' meaning 'spear-bearer' (from 'dory' = spear + 'phoros' = bearer). The famous sculpture depicts an idealized youth, and the name became iconic in art history.

Kelly Says

The Doryphoros didn't just depict a beautiful body—it showed perfect mathematical proportions that Polykleitos used to create an ideal formula for human beauty. Renaissance artists studied copies of this lost bronze for over 1,000 years to understand Greek 'perfection.'

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.