Belinda
proper nounattested in dialogue
- //bəˈlɪndə//
A female given name originating as a coinage.
proper noun
- 1
A female given name originating as a coinage.
1714 Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock, Canto V, final verse, This Lock, the Muse shall consecrate to Fame, And 'midst the Stars inscribe Belinda’s Name.
"Good-by, my dear Belinda; I leave you to ruminate sweet and bitter thoughts; to think of the last speech and confession of Lady Delacour, or, what will interest you much more, the first speech and confession of—Clarence Harvey."
The fairy tale ended savagely on January 11, 1999, when Belinda’s lifeless body was discovered in a closet. Her skull had been shattered by a shotgun blast at close range.
- 2
The ninth satellite of Uranus.
This moon's orbit is nearly identical to that of Belinda, about 47,000 miles (75,000 km) from Uranus.
It belongs to the Portia group, made up of Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Cupid, Belinda and Perdita; these satellites have similar orbits and photometric characteristics.
Miranda and the more recent discoveries have also been named after Shakespearean characters, with the exception of Belinda (1986 U5), which was named after a character from Pope's “The Rape of the Lock.”
Etymology
From Belle + -inda, base from various Romance sources such as French belle, Italian bella (“beautiful”), suffix Latinate form of German linde (“soft”) (English linden, lithe). Popularised by Alexander Pope in his poem The Rape of the Lock (1714). The moon is named after a character in Pope's poem.
Forms
- plural
- Belindas
Belinda · A female given name originating as a coinage.
bell · A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material,…Bell · A surname of Scottish and northern English origin for a bell…Bella · A female given name from Italian.