Ozymandias

Meaning

Noun

• A person once famous and respected who has since been utterly forgotten.

Origin

• From Ancient Greek Ὀσυμανδύας, from Egyptian wsr-mꜣꜥt-rꜥ stp.n-rꜥ, the throne name of pharaoh Ramesses II. Modern usage derives from the poem Ozymandias, written by Percy Bysshe Shelley and inspired by Diodorus Siculus's description of a colossal statue in the Ramesseum.