Tartarus

[ tahr-ter-uhs ]

noun

, Classical Mythology.

1. a sunless abyss, below Hades, in which Zeus imprisoned the Titans.
2. a place in Hades for the punishment of the wicked.

Tartarus

/ ˈtɑːtərəs /

noun

1. an abyss under Hades where the Titans were imprisoned
2. a part of Hades reserved for evildoers
3. the underworld; Hades
4. a primordial god who became the father of the monster Typhon

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tartarus¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek Tartaros, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

After all her children had grown up and left home, Gaia found lasting comfort with Tartarus.

From Nautilus

It is a kind of hell, but not the spiraling inferno the Stalker Virgil led Dante through, but a sodden, sloppy Tartarus.

From The Daily Beast

The name commonly given to these regions is Hades or Tartarus, understood to signify hell.

From Project Gutenberg

The inhuman Tantalus was condemned to the torments of Tartarus, where he stands up to his chin in a clear stream.

From Project Gutenberg

Therefore he was consigned to Tartarus, and his punishment is to roll an immense stone to the top of a steep hill.

From Project Gutenberg

This offense could not be overlooked, so Ixion was sent to Tartarus, where he was bound to an ever-revolving wheel of fire.

From Project Gutenberg

At length we reached the last passage, the dismal gloom of which might furnish images for a poetical description of Tartarus.

From Project Gutenberg