Atropos

[ a-truh-pos ]

/ ˈæ trəˌpɒs /

Save This Word!

noun Classical Mythology.

the Fate who cuts the thread of life.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Atropos

<Greek: literally, not turning, hence, inflexible. See a-⁶, -trope

Words nearby Atropos

atrophic rhinitis, atrophied, atrophy, atropine, atropism, Atropos, atry, ATS, at sea, at second hand, at sight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Atropos in a sentence

She crash lands on the planet Atropos and finds herself locked in a Groundhog Day-esque time loop.
The Best PS5 games to show off the console’s next-gen features|Billy Cadden|July 23, 2021|Popular-Science
Clotho draws the thread, Lachesis turns the wheel, and Atropos cuts the string asunder when spun to a due length.
The Mysteries of All Nations|James Grant
The common forms found in collections are Atropos divinatorius and Clothilla pulsatoria.
Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects|C. V. Riley
Lachesis is represented with a spindle, Clotho with the thread, and Atropos with shears, with which she cuts it off.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various

In spite of its ominous livery, the Atropos does not come from Hades; it is no envoy of death, bringing sadness and mourning.
The Insect World|Louis Figuier
The Acherontia atropos plays a great part in the superstitions which are believed in by the country folk in England.
The Insect World|Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for Atropos

Atropos

/ (ˈætrəˌpɒs) /

noun

Greek myth the one of the three Fates who severs the thread of life

Word Origin for Atropos

Greek, from atropos that may not be turned, from a- 1 + -tropos from trepein to turn

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