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Webster 1913 Edition

Trophy

Tro′phy

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Trophies
(#)
.
[F.
trophée
(cf. It. & Sp.
trofeo
), L.
tropaeum
,
trophaeum
, Gr. [GREEK], strictly, a monument of the enemy’s defeat, fr.[GREEK] a turn, especially, a turning about of the enemy, a putting to flight or routing him, fr. [GREEK] to turn. See
Trope
.]
1.
(Gr. & Rom. Antiq.)
A sign or memorial of a victory raised on the field of battle, or, in case of a naval victory, on the nearest land. Sometimes trophies were erected in the chief city of the conquered people.
☞ A trophy consisted originally of some of the armor, weapons, etc., of the defeated enemy fixed to the trunk of a tree or to a post erected on an elevated site, with an inscription, and a dedication to a divinity. The Romans often erected their trophies in the Capitol.
2.
The representation of such a memorial, as on a medal; esp.
(Arch.)
, an ornament representing a group of arms and military weapons, offensive and defensive.
3.
Anything taken from an enemy and preserved as a memorial of victory, as arms, flags, standards, etc.
Around the posts hung helmets, darts, and spears,
And captive chariots, axes, shields, and bars,
And broken beaks of ships, the
trophies
of their wars.
Dryden.
4.
Any evidence or memorial of victory or conquest;
as, every redeemed soul is a
trophy
of grace
.
Some trophies(5) are unique, temporary possession of the same object passing to the new victors of some periodic contest in subsequent occurrences. Others are objects of little inherent worth, given by the authority sponsoring the contest to the victor. A trophy is sometimes shaped like a cup, and in such cases may be called a
cup
, as the
America's Cup
(in Yacht racing).
–>
Trophy money
,
a duty paid formerly in England, annually, by housekeepers, toward providing harness, drums, colors, and the like, for the militia.

Webster 1828 Edition

Trophy

TRO'PHY

,
Noun.
[L. tropoeum.]
1.
Among the ancients, a pile of arms taken from a vanquished enemy, raised on the field of battle by the conquerors; also, the representation of such a pile in marble, on medals and the like; or according to others, trophies were trees planted in conspicuous places of the conquered provinces, and hung with the spoils of the enemy, in memory of the victory. Hence,
2.
Any thing taken and preserved as a memorial of victory, as arms, flags, standards and the like, taken from an enemy.
Around the posts hung helmets, darts and spears,
And captive chariots, axes, shields and bars,
And broken beaks of ships, the trophies of their wars.
3.
In architecture, an ornament representing the stem of a tree, charged or encompassed with arms and military weapons, offensive and defensive.
4.
Something that is evidence of victory; memorial of conquest.
Present every hearer to Christ as a trophy of grace.

Definition 2024

trophy

trophy

See also: -trophy

English

A trophy.

Noun

trophy ‎(plural trophies)

  1. (Roman antiquity) Tropæum.
  2. An object, usually in the form of a statuette, cup, or shield, awarded for success in a competition or to mark a special achievement.
    He won the trophy in a running competition.
  3. An object taken as a prize by a hunter or conqueror, especially one that is displayed.
    • Dryden
      Around the posts hung helmets, darts, and spears, / And captive chariots, axes, shields, and bars, / And broken beaks of ships, the trophies of their wars.
    The set of antlers which hung on the wall was his prized trophy.
  4. Any emblem of success; a status symbol.
    His trophies included his second wife, his successful children, the third and fourth homes in Palm Beach and Malibu, his three yachts (for the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean), his jet, and his mistresses.
  5. (criminology, by extension) An object taken by a serial killer or rapist as a memento of the crime.
    • 1994, Philip Jenkins, Using Murder: The Social Construction of Serial Homicide , ISBN 0202305252, page 117:
      The souvenirs which many killers retain of their victims are often described as trophies, and Norman Bates's taxidermic interests derived from the real-life Ed Gein.
    • 2001, R. Michael Gordon, Alias Jack the Ripper: Beyond the Usual Whitechapel Suspects , ISBN 0786408987, page 82:
      A trophy from this murder would have been of great importance.
    • 2004, Ronald F. Becker, Criminal Investigation , ISBN 0763731684, page 168:
      The offender is also likely to mentally relive his killings, often with the help of souvenirs or trophies, such as a bracelet or a body part taken from the victim.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Etymology

From Middle French trophée, from Latin trophaeum ‎(“a sign of victory, a monument”), tropaeum, from Ancient Greek τρόπαιον ‎(trópaion, “monument of an enemy's defeat”), from neuter of τροπαῖος ‎(tropaîos, “of defeat”), from τροπή ‎(tropḗ, “a rout, a turning of an enemy”)

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