Augean

English edit

Alternative forms edit

Augæan

Etymology edit

From Latin Augeas +‎ -an. Augeas is a figure in Greek mythology whose stables were never cleaned until Hercules was given the task of cleaning them.^[1]

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ɔːˈd͡ʒiːən/

Adjective edit

Augean (comparative more Augean, superlative most Augean)

Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Augeas.
Very filthy.
Huge, immense, Herculean.
an Augean task

Derived terms edit

Augean stables

References edit

^ Ariadne’s Thread: A Guide to International Tales Found in Classical Literature by William F. Hansen (2002; Cornell University Press; →ISBN, 9780801436703), page 160
Herakles Cleans the Augean Stables
One of the best-known stories attached to Herakles tells how in one day he removed the dung from King Augeias’s cattle yard, which had not been cleaned in years.

Further reading edit

“Augean” (US) / “Augean” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
“Augean”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
“Augean”, in Collins English Dictionary.

[AT-1] Ariadne’s Thread: A Guide to International Tales Found in Classical Literature by William F. Hansen (2002; Cornell University Press; →ISBN, 9780801436703), page 160
Herakles Cleans the Augean Stables
One of the best-known stories attached to Herakles tells how in one day he removed the dung from King Augeias’s cattle yard, which had not been cleaned in years.

[1]