laocoon Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (Greek mythology) the priest of Apollo who warned the Trojans to beware of Greeks bearing gifts when they wanted to accept the Trojan Horse; a god who favored the Greeks (Poseidon or Athena) sent snakes who coiled around Laocoon and his two twin sons killing them

WordNet

La*oc"o*ön noun (Also<
  • Laocoon
  • Laocoön
)
Etymology
L., fr. Gr.
Definitions
  1. (Class. Myth.) A priest of Apollo, during the Trojan war. (See 2.)
  2. (Sculp.) A marble group in the Vatican at Rome, representing the priest Laocoön, with his sons, infolded in the coils of two serpents, as described by Virgil.

Webster 1913