Triton

views updated Jun 11 2018

Triton in Greek mythology, a minor sea god usually represented as a man with a fish's tail and carrying a trident and shell-trumpet.
Triton of the minnows the type of something large or great contrasted with something small and insignificant, often with reference to Shakespeare's Coriolanus (1608).

Triton

views updated May 11 2018

Triton In Greek mythology, a sea god, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. He was half man and half fish, with a scaled body, sharp teeth and claws, and a forked fish tail. He had power over the waves and possessed the gift of prophecy.