Thanatos

[ than-uh-tos, -tohs ]

noun
  1. an ancient Greek personification of death.

  2. Psychoanalysis.(usually lowercase) the death instinct, especially as expressed in violent aggression.

Other words from Thanatos

  • Than·a·tot·ic [than-uh-tot-ik], /ˌθæn əˈtɒt ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby Thanatos

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Thanatos in a sentence

  • The Greeks had imagined Thanatos 14 as a winged genius; that was correct.

    Hania | Henryk Sienkiewicz
  • A lake of yellow smoke formed in the pocket behind the hill where lay the redoubt in which "Thanatos" was snoring.

  • At noon she awoke, crying aloud that the Red Mouse claimed her soul from Thanatos.

    Folle-Farine | Ouida
  • There it stands while we debate; as Thanatos and Heracles fought over the veiled queen.

    Fields of Victory | Mrs. Humphry Ward
  • He told me he had heard his master, two hours before, saddle Thanatos, and ride away.

    The Flight of the Shadow | George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for Thanatos

Thanatos

/ (ˈθænəˌtɒs) /


noun
  1. the Greek personification of death: son of Nyx, goddess of night: Roman counterpart: Mors

  2. the name chosen by Freud to represent a universal death instinct: Compare Eros (def. 2)

Derived forms of Thanatos

  • Thanatotic (ˌθænəˈtɒtɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012