pegasus
n. countablen. a famous horse from Greek myths that has wings and can fly.
n. A winged horse from Greek mythology, typically depicted as white and born from the blood of Medusa. The lowercase form occasionally serves as a poetic byword for inspiration.
The hero rode a pegasus across the sky.
In the ancient story, Bellerophon managed to tame the pegasus with a golden bridle given to him by Athena.
The image of the pegasus has transcended its mythological origins to become a universal symbol of poetic genius and the soaring heights of human imagination.
From Late Middle English Pegase, Pegasus, from Latin Pēgasus, from Ancient Greek Πήγασος (Pḗgasos), traditionally associated with πηγή (pēgḗ, “spring, fountain, fountain fed by a spring”), especially used to denote springs of Ocean, where Perseus killed Medusa, from whose blood Pegasus sprang. Some have dismissed this as folk etymology and suggest a pre-Greek origin because of the -ασος suffix. First attested in the 14th century.
When referring to the specific character from Greek mythology, it is treated as a proper noun and capitalised.