stygian

See also Stygian

English

WOTD – 5 May 2009    

Etymology

From Latin stygius, from Ancient Greek Στύγιος (Stugios, “relating to Styx”), from Στύξ (Stux, “Styx, chief river of underworld”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /ˈstɪdʒ.i.ən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

stygian

1. Dark and gloomy.

   • 1918, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Gods of Mars^[1], edition HTML, The Gutenberg Project, published 2008:

     The things which the Stygian darkness hid from my objective eye …

2. Infernal or hellish.

Usage notes

• See also Stygian, which means "of, by or relating to the river Styx".

Translations

dark and gloomy

• Armenian: մռայլ (hy) (mṙayl) 
• Czech: temný (cs)
• Finnish: synkkä (fi)

• Russian: мрачный (ru) (mráčnyj) , чёрный (ru) (čjórnyj) 
• Scottish Gaelic: doilleir (gd)

infernal or hellish

• Armenian: դժոխային (hy) (džoxayin) 
• Czech: styžský (cs), podsvětní (cs)
• Dutch: hels (nl), infernaal (nl)

• Finnish: helvetillinen (fi)
• Russian: адский (ru) (ádskij) 
• Scottish Gaelic: ifrinneach (gd)

Anagrams

• staying