源自希腊神话的英语词汇

Words derived from Greek mythology

Achilles’ heel: a vulnerable point [fr. L, fr. Gk Achilleus Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior at Troy, slayer of Hector]

Argus-eyed: vigilantly observant [L, fr. Gk Argos, a hundred-eyed monster of Greek mythology] Atlas: A book containing maps of various locations. Atlas was a titan condemned to hold up the sky on his shoulders.

Augean stable: a condition or place marked by great accumulation of filth or corruption [L Augeas, king of Elis, fr. Gk Augeias; fr. the legend that his stable, left neglected for 30 years, was

finally cleaned by Hercules]

Cereal: Any grain, such as wheat, oats, barley, etc. Named after Ceres, goddess of farming and agriculture.

Chronicle: A list of events in the order they happened. Named for Cronus (Saturn), father of Jupiter and leader of the titans.

Cloth: any type of natural fabric. Clotho, one of the Fates, gave her name to this material.

Delphic utterance: a comment or response to a question that is ambiguous and therefore difficult to understand [fr. Delphi, the site of the oracle of Apollo]

Echo: The reflection of a sound wave. Echo was a wood nymph whose voice was taken from her by Juno, and she was thereafter only capable of repeating others.

Herculean: a seemingly impossible task, such as the twelve labors Hercules had to perform to win his freedom

Jovial: good-humored. When he wasn?t tossing around lightning bolts, Jupiter (also known as Jove) would probably be in this mood.

Labyrinth: either a maze with many twists and passages or a tortuous procedure. Comes from the name of the maze Daedalus built for King Minos of Crete.

Martial: relating to or suggestive of war. Named for Mars, god of war.

Midas touch: an uncanny ability for making money in every venture [L, fr. Gk legend of the Phrygian king Midas who is given the power to turn everything he touched into gold] Music: harmonious and rhythmic arraignments of sound. Named after the Muses, goddesses of the arts and sciences.

Narcissistic: excessive self-admiration. Narcissus was a man who fell in love with his reflection. Olympian feat: a lofty task, as one befitting the immortals [fr. Gk Olympos, the mountain in Greek mythology that is the home of the gods]

Orator: one who speaks in public. Derives from oracle, places where the gods and mortals would go for help.

Pandora’s box: a prolific source of troubles [fr. the myth surrounding the box sent by the gods to Pandora]

Panic: a sudden, intense, contagious fear. The god Pan was known for causing such fear in people. Plutocrat: government of rich people. Pluto lived in the underworld, surrounded by mineral wealth. procrustean bed: a scheme or pattern into which someone or something is arbitrarily forced [L, fr.

Gk Prokroustes Procrustes, a villainous son of Poseidon in Greek mythology who forces

travelers to fit into his bed by stretching their bodies or cutting off their legs]

Psyche: The soul or mind, named for Psyche, the wife of Cupid.

Python: a massive snake that kills its prey by constriction. Named after Python, a monster that lived in a cave near Delphi and was killed by Apollo.

siren song: an alluring utterance or appeal, especially one that is seductive or deceptive [ME sereyn, fr. OF sereine, fr. L Siren, fr. Gk Serein Siren, one of several mythological Greek sea nymphs, part woman and part bird, supposed to lure sailors to their destruction by their seductive

singing]

Struck by Cupid’s arrow: smitten, in love [L Cupido, the Roman god of erotic love]

Titanic: of massive size, like the titans, the gigantic sons of Uranus and Gaia.