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Averno

American  
[uh-vur-noh, ah-ver-naw] / əˈvɜr noʊ, ɑˈvɛr nɔ /

noun

  1. a crater lake in S Italy, near Naples and the Tyrrhenian Sea, thought by ancients to be the entrance to the underworld.


Averno British  
/ aˈvɛrno /

noun

  1. Latin name: Avernus.  a crater lake in Italy, near Naples: in ancient times regarded as an entrance to hell

"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

Etymology

Origin of Averno

from Latin, from Greek aornos without birds, from a- 1 + ornis bird; referring to the legend that the lake's sulphurous exhalations killed birds

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Paul Daniel conducts the initial performances, with Barbara Hannigan and Kerstin Averno sharing the title role.

From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2012

I think it was Virgil who said Facilis descensus Averno, and I suppose Mr. Henderson, in his statement, is trying to save me from the inconveniences of this trip.

From Reveries of a Schoolmaster by Pearson, Francis B.

Tuesday the 17th the Committee had arranged an excursion to Lake Averno, the Temple of Serapis, and other places famous in a geological and historical respect, situated to the north-west of Naples.

From The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, Volume I and Volume II by Leslie, Alexander, fl. 1879-1882

I had left the cover drawn tightly over the cage, telling Cynthia that it would protect the bird from the night dews, Facilis descensus Averno.

From Latitude 19 degree A Romance of the West Indies in the Year of Our Lord Eighteen Hundred and Twenty by Crowninshield, Mrs. Schuyler

"Facilis descensus Averno" is the motto over its downward path.

From Exempting the Churches An Argument for the Abolition of This Unjust and Unconstitutional Practice by James F. Morton. Jr.

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