stygian

See also: Stygian

English

WOTD – 5 May 2009

Etymology

From Latin stygius +‎ -ian, from Ancient Greek Στύγιος (Stúgios, “relating to Styx”), from Στύξ (Stúx, “Styx, chief river of underworld”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈstɪd͡ʒ.i.ən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

stygian (comparative more stygian, superlative most stygian)

1. Alternative form of Stygian (“of or relating to the river Styx”).
2. (figuratively, literary)
   1. Infernal or hellish.

      Synonyms: helly, subtartarean; see also Thesaurus:infernal

   2. Dark and gloomy.

      Synonyms: cimmerian, dusky, tenebrous; see also Thesaurus:dark

      • 1913 January–May, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Gods of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as The Gods of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., September 1918, →OCLC, page 184:

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

3. (color theory, of a perceived color) Having a luminosity below 0%.

Usage notes

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

Hypernyms

(color):

• chimerical

Coordinate terms

(color):

• hyperbolic
• self-luminous

Derived terms

• stygobiont

Translations

dark and gloomy

• Armenian: մռայլ (hy) (mṙayl)
• Bulgarian: тъмен (bg) (tămen), мрачен (bg) (mračen)
• Czech: temný (cs)
• Finnish: synkkä (fi)
• German: düster (de), duster (de)
• Russian: мра́чный (ru) (mráčnyj), чёрный (ru) (čórnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: doilleir
• Swedish: dunkel (sv), dyster (sv)

infernal or hellish

• Armenian: դժոխային (hy) (džoxayin)
• Bulgarian: адски (bg) (adski)
• Czech: styžský, podsvětní
• Dutch: hels (nl), infernaal (nl)
• Finnish: helvetillinen (fi)
• Russian: а́дский (ru) (ádskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: ifrinneach

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