Avernus

[ uh-vur-nuh s ]

/ əˈvɜr nəs /

noun

a lake near Naples, Italy, looked upon in ancient times as an entrance to hell, from whose waters vile-smelling vapors arose, supposedly killing birds flying over it.

hell.

Origin of Avernus

< Latin < Greek áornos birdless, equivalent to a- a-⁶ + órn(is) bird + -os adj. suffix

Related formsA·ver·nal, adjective

Averno

[ uh-vur-noh; Italian ah-ver-naw ]

/ əˈvɜr noʊ; Italian ɑˈvɛr nɔ /

noun

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

Ancient A·ver·nus.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for avernus

Fear not, therefore: he shall come safe to the haven of Avernus.
Stories from Virgil|Alfred J. Church
Merlin appears, and undertakes the guidance of the Barons on their journey to Avernus.
Renaissance in Italy: Italian Literature|John Addington Symonds
In safety, as thou desirest, shall he reach the haven of Avernus.
The Aeneid of Virgil|Virgil
Think of the delights of yachting in the harbour, of the ocean breeze after this vapour from the pit of—of—Avernus.
The Crooked Stick|Rolf Boldrewood

It has been said with more truth than poetic fancy that the descent to Avernus is easy.
The Loyalist|James Francis Barrett

British Dictionary definitions for avernus

Averno

/ (Italian aˈvɛrno) /

noun

a crater lake in Italy, near Naples: in ancient times regarded as an entrance to hellLatin name: Avernus (əˈvɜːnəs)

Word Origin for 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

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