Augean
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom 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
editAdjective
editAugean (comparative more Augean, superlative most Augean)
- Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Augeas.
- Very filthy.
- Huge, immense, Herculean.
- an Augean task
Derived terms
editReferences
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.