chthonian

[ thoh-nee-uh n ]

/ ˈθoʊ ni ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chthonian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Classical Mythology.

of or relating to the deities, spirits, and other beings dwelling under the earth.

Words related to chthonian

demonic, malevolent, hellish, devilish, wicked, lower, accursed, confounded, cursed, damnable, diabolical, execrable, fiendish, malicious, monstrous, nether, satanic, subterranean, blamed, blasted

Words nearby chthonian

chrysotherapy, chrysotile, chrétien, chrétien de troyes, chs., chthonian, chu, chu chiang, chu hsi, chu kiang, chu teh

Also chthon·ic

[thon-ik] /ˈθɒn ɪk/.

Origin of chthonian

1840–50; < Greek chthóni(os) (chthon-, stem of chthṓn earth + -ios adj. suffix) + -an; akin to Latin humus earth (see humus)

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

Examples from the Web for chthonian

A man who divorced his wife was to make an offering to the Chthonian gods.
Plutarch's Lives, Volume I (of 4)|Plutarch
The Chthonian deities form a counterpart to the dwellers on Olympus.
Studies of the Greek Poets (Vol II of 2)|John Addington Symonds
It must be strange to die, surrounded by jackals at their chthonian litanies.
In Mesopotamia|Martin Swayne
As a chthonian power, she is worshipped at the Samothracian mysteries, and is closely connected with Demeter.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for chthonian

chthonian

chthonic (ˈθɒnɪk)

/ (ˈθəʊnɪən) /

adjective

of or relating to the underworld

Word Origin for chthonian

C19: from Greek khthonios in or under the earth, from khthōn earth

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