Cle ‧ o ‧ pat ‧ ra /ˌkliːəˈpætrə◂/ BrE AmE
(69–30 BC) a queen of Egypt, famous for her beauty, who became the lover of Julius Caesar and later of Mark Antony. When she and Antony were defeated in battle by Octavian’s army, she used an ↑ asp (=a small poisonous snake) to kill herself. Shakespeare’s play Antony and Cleopatra is based on her relationship with Mark Antony.