noun pl. trophies -·phies

1. 1. in ancient Greece and Rome, a memorial of victory erected on the battlefield or in some public place, orig. a display of captured arms or other spoils
   2. a representation of this on a medal
2. an architectural ornament representing a group of weapons
3. something taken from the enemy and kept as a memorial of victory, as captured arms
4. a lion's skin, deer's head, etc. displayed as evidence of hunting prowess
5. 1. a prize, usually a silver cup, awarded in a sports contest or other competition
   2. anything serving as a reminder, as of a triumph

Etymology: MFr trophée < L trophaeum, altered < tropaeum, sign of victory < Gr tropaion, a token of an enemy's defeat < tropaios, of a rout, turning < tropē, a turning, defeat < trepein: see trope

adjective