ˈilēəd also -ēˌad noun
( -s )
Usage: often capitalized
Etymology: from the Iliad, ancient Greek epic poem dealing with the siege of Troy and attributed to Homer, from Latin Iliad-, Ilias, from Greek Iliad-, Ilias, literally, of Ilium, from Ilion Troy
1. : a long narrative ; especially : an epic in the Homeric tradition
the farmer has inspired no ringing saga or iliad — Scribner's
2.
a. : a series of martial exploits regarded as suitable for epic commemoration
who leaving his glad school days … joined England's bitter Iliad — Margaret Wilson
b. : a series of miseries or disasters
opens another Iliad of woes to Europe — Edmund Burke