n.
Pronunciation: ˌ fi-l ə - ' m ē -l ə
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from Greek Philom ē l ē
Date: 14th century
: an Athenian princess in Greek mythology raped and deprived of her tongue by her brother-in-law Tereus, avenged by the killing of his son, and changed into a nightingale while fleeing from him