Nilus
/ˈnaɪləs/noun
Nilus is the Latin name for the Nile River and, in classical mythology, the divine personification of that river.
Did you know?In Greco-Roman mythology, Nilus was a river god and the father of several figures linked to Egypt’s sacred landscape.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Egyptian period
Egyptian
iteru
“A native Egyptian term for the Nile, commonly interpreted as “great river.””
Ancient Greek
Greek
Neîlos
“The Greek name for the Nile River, probably borrowed from an Egyptian source.”
Classical antiquity
Greek
Neilos
“The Nile conceived not merely as a river but also as a divine river-god in mythology.”
Roman period
Latin
Nīlus
“The Latin name for the Nile and its personification, Nilus.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
Nilus
“A classical and biblical name used in texts referring to the Egyptian river.”
Modern English
English
Nilus
“A learned Latin form preserved mainly in historical, mythological, ecclesiastical, and scientific names.”