nisus

nisus
/nuy"seuhs/, n., pl. nisus.
an effort or striving toward a particular goal or attainment; impulse.
[1690-1700; < L nisus act of planting the feet, effort, equiv. to nit(i) to support or exert oneself + -tus suffix of v. action, with tt > s]

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      in Greek mythology, king of Megara, a son of King Pandion of Athens. His name was given to the Megarian port of Nisaea. Nisus had a purple lock of hair with magic power: if preserved, it would guarantee him life and continued possession of his kingdom. When King Minos of Crete besieged Megara, Nisus' daughter Scylla fell in love with Minos (or, in some accounts, was bribed): she betrayed her city by cutting off her father's purple lock. Nisus was killed (or killed himself) and became transformed into a sea eagle. Scylla later drowned, possibly at the hand of Minos, and was changed into a sea bird (Greek keiris, Latin ciris), possibly a heron, constantly pursued by the sea eagle.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nisus — Ni sus, n. [L., fr. niti, p. p. nisus, to strive.] 1. A striving; an effort; a conatus. [1913 Webster] A nisus or energizing towards a presented object. Hickok. [1913 Webster] 2. (Physiol.) (a) The periodic procreative desire manifested in the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • nisus — [nī′səs] n. pl. nisus [L < nisus, pp. of niti, to strive: for IE base see CONNIVE] effort; endeavor; impulse; specif., a) a seasonal desire to mate b) the muscular contractions used to expel waste, eggs, or a fetus from the body …   English World dictionary

  • Nisus [1] — Nisus (Sagengesch.), s. Nisos …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Nisus [2] — Nisus (lat.), 1) Trieb; 2) körperliche Anstrengung. N. formativus, Bildungstrieb …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Nisus [3] — Nisus, Sperber; N. musĭcus, so v.w. Singfalke …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Nisus — Nisus, der Sperber …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • nisus — index conatus Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Nisus — ni·sus n. pl. nisus An effort or endeavor to realize an aim. [Latin nisus, from past participle of niti, to strive.] [1] In classical mythology, Nisus (or Nisos) may refer to: Nisus of Nisus and Euryalus, son of Hyrtacus, lover of Euryalus, in… …   Wikipedia

  • NISUS — I. NISUS Comagenae Urbs, Antonin. II. NISUS Hyrtaci fil. Euryalo indissolubili amicitiae vin culô coniunctus; quorum historiam copiosê satis describit Virg. l. 9. Aen. v. 184. III. NISUS Megarensium Rex, prupureo capillô insignis, a quo, cum… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • nisus — noun (plural nisus) Etymology: Latin, from niti to lean, rely, strive; akin to Latin nictare to wink more at connive Date: 1699 a mental or physical effort to attain an end ; a perfective urge or endeavor …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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