Download mythology word origins

MYTHOLOGY WORD
ORIGINS
AMBROSIA
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) Anything
delicious or fragrant
• Mythological Origin: It was the food of the
gods and it made them immortal.
CHAOTIC
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) A state of
disorder and confusion
• Mythological Origin: According the Greek
creation myth, Chaos was the first being
and was a disorganized mass of seeds and
the beginnings of all things.
TITANIC
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Very large or
strong, powerful.
• Mythological Origin: Titans were fabled
giants of ancient mythology who were
enormous in size and strength.
CHRONOLOGICAL
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Arranged in
the order of time.
• Mythological Origin: Chronos was one of
the Titans and the son of Uranus and
Gaea. He was Time, and said to be the
most terrible of all the Titans.
SATURNINE
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Looking sad,
serious, especially in a threatening way.
• Mythological Origin: Saturn is the Greek
name for Chronos. In terms of Astrology,
the planet Saturn intensifies feelings of
sadness, isolation, and depression, just like
Saturn/Chronos felt when he became an
eternal prisoner of Tartarus.
PLUTONIUM
• Present Day Meaning: (n.) A metal that is
used in the production of nuclear power and it
is invisible to the naked eye.
• Mythological Origin: Pluto, God of the
Underworld was given a helmet of invisibility by
the three Cyclops when he and his brothers all
waged war on Cronos. Just as Pluto wore a
helmet of invisibility, so Plutonium is an
element none of us are ever likely to see.
MERCURIAL
•Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Changing moods
suddenly. Mercury is the metal used in a thermometer
that moves up and down in order to measure
temperature.
•Mythological Meaning: Mercury is the messenger
God and he is the only one who can travel up to
Mount Olympus, where the Gods live, and down to the
Underworld. As the escort of souls down to Tartarus,
he has always been associated with movement and
travel. Mercury is after all, mercurial and speed is his
great skill as he is the messenger of the gods.
JOVIAL:
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) To be
friendly or cheerful.
• Mythological Meaning: Jove is another
name for Zeus, King of the Gods and ruler
of mankind. He was well known for his
“friendly” attitude toward most females.
VOLCANO
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A naturally
occurring opening in the surface of the
Earth through which molten, gaseous, and
solid material is ejected.
• Mythological Origin: Vulcan (Hephaestus)
was the god of fire; blacksmith for the
gods.
CEREAL
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) Crop plant
with edible grain; breakfast food.
• Mythological Origin: The term was derived
from Ceres, the goddess of agriculture.
MARTIAL
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Warlike and
fierce
• Mythological Origin: It pertained to Mars,
the Roman god of war.
APHRODISIAC
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) Something
that arouses or intensifies sexual drive.
• Mythological Origin: Related to Aphrodite,
the goddess of love and beauty.
ARACHNID
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) Eight-legged
organism
• Mythological Origin: She was a Greek
maiden who was turned into a spider after
she boastfully won Athena in a weaving
contest.
METAMORPHOSIS
• Present Day Meaning: (n.) The process in
which something changes completely into
something very different.
• Mythological Origin: In the myth Arachne,
she changes from her human form, into
something totally different; a spider.
NARCISSISTIC
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Someone
who admires his/her own physical
appearance or ability can be described as
narcissistic.
• Mythological Origin: Narcissus is a
beautiful young man who rejected all
admirers, including the nymph Echo. As a
punishment for his vanity, he falls in love
with his own reflection.
LABYRINTH
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A structure
of connecting passages through which it is
difficult to find one’s way; a maze.
• Mythological Origin: It was used to
describe a maze that was designed by
Daedalus for King Minos of Crete to
confine Minotaur.
TANTALIZE
• Present Day Meaning: (verb) To tease by
presenting something desirable to view, but
keeping it continually out of reach.
• Mythological Origin: Tantalus, a Phrygian King,
was condemned to remain in Tartarus, standing,
thirsty, hungry, and chin-deep in water with
fruit-laden branches hanging above his head. As
he tried to drink, the water level retreated.
When he attempted to eat the fruit, it would slip
away from his hands.
LETHAL
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Causing
death or disorder
• Mythological Origin: Lethe is the river of
forgetfulness on the way to Hades. Letum
was a monster, who lived in the
underworld. His name meant death.
SISYPHEAN
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Involving
endless, but pointless labor.
• Mythological Origin: Sisyphus was a cruel
king of Corinth condemned forever to roll
a huge stone up a hill in Hades. Once the
stone reached the top, it would fall back
down.
FATE(S)
• Present Day Meaning: (n.) A power that is
believed to control what happens in people’s lives.
• Mythological Origin: The Fates Are three ancient
goddesses, daughters of Zeus, who were in charge
of deciding the length of each mortal’s life. One
Fate is in charge of starting the “thread of life”;
BIRTH; another is in charge of weaving “the
thread of life”; WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU IN YOUR
LIFE; and the third is in charge of cutting “the
thread of life”; DEATH.
“The Midas Touch”
• Present Day Meaning: The ability to make,
manage, and keep large amounts of
money.
• Mythological Origin: Midas, King of
Phrygia, a greedy man who Dionysus gave
the power of turning everything he
touched into gold.
PSYCHOLOGY
• Present Day Meaning: (n) The study of
the mind and how it works.
• Mythological origin: Psyche was
considered a perfect woman, in mind,
body and spirit. Therefore, her mind was
used as the standard for all others to be
judged.
ATLAS
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A book or
collection of maps
• Mythological Origin: He was the King of
Mauritania, and it was imagined that he
supported the world on his shoulders.
AMAZONIAN
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A physically
or mentally strong; aggressive.
• Mythological Origin: A group of women
warriors who lived in Scythia or in the
northern limits of the world.
HERCULEAN
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Something that
requires great strength or that is enormous in
size or courage.
• Mythological Origin: Hercules was a famous
hero, known for his courage and strength. He
performs 12 labors; very difficult tasks; as a
punishment for murdering his wife and children
ACHILLES’ HEEL
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) The
vulnerable or weak spot of a man’s
character or a of a nation.
• Mythological Origin: It is from the tale of
when Thetis took her son, Achilles, by the
heel and dipped him in the Styx River, so
that he would be invincible. The water
washed every part of his body, excluding
his heel, which had been covered by his
mother’s hands. It was on this vulnerable
point that caused the hero to be slain.
“Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts”
• Present Day Meaning: Be careful of
accepting a gift from a potential enemy
because it may bring misfortune.
• Mythological Origin: The Trojan Horse, a
wooden horse, was a gift from Athena
which contained armed men who attacked
the city Troy.
“The Face that Launched a
Thousand Ships”
• Present Day Meaning: Any one person
causing disaster or war.
• Mythological Origin: Helen of Troy was one
of the most beautiful Greek women. She
fled with Prince Paris, which launched the
Trojan War.
MUSE
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A source of
inspiration; a guiding spirit
• Mythological Origin: Muse was one of the
nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne,
goddess of memory. The Muses inspired
different creative artists.
ODYSSEY
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A long,
adventurous voyage.
• Mythological Origin: A Greek epic poem
that explains the adventures of Ulysses in
his voyage after the fall of Troy.
MENTOR
• Present Day Meaning: (n.) An
experienced person who advises,
encourages, and helps a less experienced
person.
• Mythological Meaning: Mentor is an elder
whom Odysseus asks to watch over the
education and the raising of his son,
Telemachus.
“Between Scylla & Charybidis
• Present Day Meaning: In a position where
avoidance of one danger exposes one to another
danger.
• Mythological Origin: Scylla was a six-headed
monster who lived on a rock on one side of a
narrow strait. Charybdis was a whirlpool on the
other side. Whenever ships passed close to
Scylla’s rock so that they would avoid Charybdis,
she would seize and devour their sailors.
“A Lotus Eater”
• Present Day Meaning: Anyone who
surrenders to indolent pleasure
• Mythological Origin: Odysseus was driven
to North Africa, the land of the Lotus
Eaters. They consumed the fruit of the
lotus and lived in constant state of dreamy
forgetfulness and happy irresponsibility.
ADONIS
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) An extremely
handsome young man
• Mythological Origin: A handsome young man
was loved by Aphrodite and Persephone. He was
killed while hunting boar, but was allowed by
Zeus to divide his time between Aphrodite on
earth and Persephone in the Underworld.
FURIOUS
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Extremely
angry.
• Mythological Origin: The Furies are three
female creatures who punish all crimes
and breaking of societies rules. First and
foremost they punish those who hunt or
kill their own family members.
HALCYON DAYS
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A time of peace,
serenity, and happiness.
• Mythological Origin: Halcyon is Greek for
Kingfisher. The ancient Sicilians believed that
because the Kingfisher laid and incubated his
eggs for fourteen days on the surface of the sea,
the waves would calm before the winter solstice.
AURORA
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) Early
Morning
• Mythological Origin: In Grecian mythology,
the goddess Aurora was said to have been
the “pioneer” of the rising sun.
NEMESIS
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A source of
harm or ruin
• Mythological Origin: The god of retributive
justice or vengeance.
IRIDESCENT
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A rainbowlike display of colors.
• Mythological Origin: She was the goddess
of the rainbow and messenger of the
gods.
PHOBIA
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) An irrational
or very powerful fear and dislike of
something
• Mythological Origin: Phobos, son of Ares,
was the representation of fear.
PANDEMONIUM
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A situation in which
there is a lot of noise because people are angry,
confused or frightened.
• Mythological Origin: Named after the God Pan, God of
shepherds, forests, wildlife, and fertility. Like other
Gods who dwelt in forests, he was dreaded by
travelers to whom sometimes he appeared and whom
he startled with a sudden terror. His unseen presence
aroused feelings of panic in men passing through the
remote lonely places of the wild, thus creating a
feeling of pandemonium in the hunters.
PROTEAN
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) Having the
ability to change your appearance or
behavior again and again.
• Mythological Origin: Proteus is a subject of
Poseidon, and he lives in the sea. He can
tell the future, but you have to catch him in
order to find out what your future holds.
He had the power to change shape in order
to escape those trying to catch him.
HARPY
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A shrewish,
quarrelsome woman
• Mythological Origin: This term was used to
signify a monster that was half woman
and half bird of prey.
NIKE
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) Victorious
• Mythological Origin: She can run and fly at
great speed. She was represented as a
woman with wings, dressed in a billowing
robe with a wreath or staff.
CHIMERA
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) An illusory fancy, a
wild, absurd scheme, a castle in the air.
• Mythological Origin: Homer described the
chimera as a monster with a goat’s body, a lion’s
head, and a dragon’s tail. It was born in Lycia,
and then was slain by Bellerophon.
ZEPHYR
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A mild wind
or a gentle breeze.
• Mythological Origin: He was the west
wind, the son of Aeolus and Aurora, and
the lover of Flora.
NECTAR
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A delicious,
enjoyable drink from a plant
• Mythological Origin: It was the drink of
the gods that sustained their beauty and
immortality.
PANIC
• Present Day Meaning: (noun) A sudden
feeling of fear and anxiety
• Mythological Origin: Pan, the woodland
god, and the son of Hermes.
FLORAL
• Present Day Meaning: (adj.) Flowers
• Mythological Origin: Flora was the Roman
goddess of Flowers