Latin terms in English vocab Flashcards
Apollonian
relating to the rational, ordered, and self-disciplined aspects of human nature.
Dionysian
relating to the sensual, spontaneous, and emotional aspects of human nature.
“dark, grand Dionysian music”
apollonian and dionysian
The Apollonian and the Dionysian are philosophical and literary concepts represented by a duality between the figures of Apollo and Dionysus from Greek mythology.
Adonis
a handsome young man in Greek mythology loved by both Aphrodite and Persephone
in Greek mythology the eternally youthful god of beauty and desire. When you call someone an adonis, there’s an implication that he’s a bit vain about his good looks: “He knows he’s the adonis of the family.”
Zeus
Supreme god of Greek Mythology
Amazon
large, strong and agreesive woman. often reffered as warrior.
An amazon is a big, strong, warrior-like woman, someone who reminds you of the mythical Greek women-warriors, the Amazons.
Describing someone as an amazon can sometimes have a negative tinge. If you call a tennis star an amazon, you may be suggesting that she’s got an unfair advantage over her competitors because of her size, and for some, strength in a woman is not attractive. But amazon can also be an admiring term for a statuesque, athletic woman. After all, Wonder Woman was an amazon.
Ambrosia
means immortality
ambrosia was considered the food or drink of the Olympian gods, and it was thought to bring long life and immortality to anyone who consumed it.
Cyclops
(Greek mythology) one of a race of giants having a single eye in the middle of their forehead
Elysian
divine and glorious
The adjective elysian describes a blissful state, like the one most people hope to enjoy on a Hawaiian vacation.
The word elysian comes from the idyllic Greek mythological place called Elysian Fields. While it might seem at first like a place a tourist might want to see, don’t try to book airline tickets! Although the term is now often equated with a paradise, the Greek Elysian Fields were a heavenly resting place to go in the afterlife. The concept was probably originally conceived to encourage valor in soldiers during battle. Nowadays, people tend to use elysian to describe any heavenly scene — even a golf resort or a spa.
Gargantuan
Related to size
very large, huge mass or bulky
Whether you’re talking about your gargantuan appetite or a gargantuan building, use the word gargantuan to describe something so big that big just isn’t, well, big enough to accurately describe it.
Halcyon
Greek mythology about the halcyon bird, which had the power to calm the rough ocean waves every December so she could nest. Like those calm waters, halcyon has come to mean a sense of peace or tranquility.
Olympian
time of Zeus and home of Gods
Procrustean
A son of Poseidon, Procrustes was an iron smith, thief, murderer, and inn keeper. also called Polypemon, Damastes, or Procoptas, in Greek legend, a robber dwelling somewhere in Attica—in some versions, in the neighbourhood of Eleusis. His father was said to be Poseidon. Procrustes had an iron bed (or, according to some accounts, two beds) on which he compelled his victims to lie.
high school student might accuse his school of using Procrustean means to force all students to fit one particular educational mold.
pyrrhic
Use the adjective pyrrhic to describe a victory that is won, but at too great a cost to have to worthwhile. In this use as an adjective, the word is often capitalized.
The word pyrrhic comes from the Greek general, Pyrrhus, who defeated the Romans at the Battle of Asculum but lost so many troops that he couldn’t defeat Rome itself. If you are the winner in an argument with your brother, but the fight ends up ruining your relationship with him, it’s a Pyrrhic victory. An ancient Greek war dance is also called a pyrrhic.
Trojan horse
a wooden horse, where a army conceals itself
