arethusa

[ ar-uh-thoo-zuh ]

/ ˌær əˈθu zə /

Save This Word!

noun

Also called dragon's mouth, swamp pink. an orchid, Arethusa bulbosa, of eastern North America, having a solitary pink flower with a blotched, fringed lip: now rare.

(initial capital letter)Classical Mythology. a nymph who was changed into a spring to save her when she was being pursued by the river god Alpheus.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON OPPOSITES OF RED BEFORE YOU TURN SCARLET

We have a challenge that will make you blush: do you know the many words and ways to describe the opposite of red?

Question 1 of 7

Which of the following colors is used to symbolize AIR?

white

green

red

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of arethusa

1810–20; (<New Latin ) <Greek Aréthousa

Words nearby arethusa

Areopagus, arepa, Arequipa, Ares, arete, arethusa, Aretino, Arezzo, arf, arfvedsonite, Arg

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use arethusa in a sentence

Hence the story arose that a cup thrown into the Alpheus appeared again in Arethusa.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome|Emilie Kip Baker
A ride to the Fountain of Arethusa had been planned for the next day, and I had the happiness of being invited to join it.
Byron|Richard Edgcumbe
Not long after this the “gallant Arethusa” was wrecked upon the rocks near Ushant, in pursuit of an enemy.
How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves|W.H.G. Kingston
Arethusa always receives her with the respect and honour due to her Queen and Huntress, chaste and fair.
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones

And after all, once started again upon their inland journey, both Philip and his wife regretted not the absence of Arethusa.
Hubert's Wife|Minnie Mary Lee

British Dictionary definitions for arethusa (1 of 2)

arethusa

/ (ˌærɪˈθjuːzə) /

noun

a North American orchid, Arethusa bulbosa, having one long narrow leaf and one rose-purple flower fringed with yellow

British Dictionary definitions for arethusa (2 of 2)

Arethusa

/ (ˌærɪˈθjuːzə) /

noun

Greek myth a nymph who was changed into a spring on the island of Ortygia to escape the amorous advances of the river god Alpheus

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