from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. An anonymous Old English epic poem believed to have been composed in the early eighth century, principally concerning the exploits of the warrior Beowulf and containing historical and legendary tales about the Geats, Danes, and other older Germanic peoples.
- n. The legendary hero of this epic, who slays the monster Grendel and its mother, becomes king of the Geats, and dies fighting a dragon.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- proper n. An Anglo-Saxon personal name, usually with reference to the hero of an Old English epic poem, or to the poem itself.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. the legendary hero of an anonymous Old English epic poem composed in the early 8th century; he slays a monster and becomes king but dies fighting a dragon
Old English Beowulf. (Wiktionary)