#areopagus

• Alcippe — The scientific name of a genus of passerine birds (Alcippe) native to Asia; in Greek mythology, Alcippe (Alkippe) represents several figures, the most famous being the daughter of Ares and Agraulus, whose assault by Halirrhothius (son of Poseidon) prompted Ares to kill him, leading to the legendary first trial held on the Areopagus hill in Athens.
• Areopagus — The supreme judicial council of ancient Athens, originally composed of former high-ranking magistrates (archons), which met on the hill dedicated to the god Ares to deliberate on state crimes and constitutional matters. In a modern figurative sense, the term denotes an assembly of persons possessing unquestionable moral, scientific, or legal authority, structurally invested with the power to issue definitive decisions.
• Areopagite — A member of the Areopagus, the highest judicial court and aristocratic council in ancient Athens, which historically met on the rock dedicated to the god Ares. In a Christian religious and theological sense, the term refers directly to Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, the Athenian judge converted by Saint Paul the Apostle, to whom the celebrated mystical writings of the Areopagitic corpus were structurally attributed. In an extended or literary sense, it denotes a judge of unquestionable moral and professional authority or a member of a supreme court.
• Areopagus — An obsolete, popular, or regional graphic and phonetic variant of the term 'areopag' (areopagus); the supreme council, court, or assembly of judges in ancient Athens that met on the rocky hill dedicated to the god Ares. Figuratively, the term describes a gathering of learned people, an elite jury, or a forum of absolute structural authority capable of issuing major verdicts.