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chthonian

[ thoh-nee-uhn ]
/ ˈθoʊ ni ən /
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adjective Classical Mythology.
of or relating to the deities, spirits, and other beings dwelling under the earth.
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Also chthon·ic [thon-ik]. /ˈθɒn ɪk/.

Origin of chthonian

First recorded in 1840–50; from Greek chthóni(os) (chthon-, stem of chthṓn “earth” + -ios adjective suffix) + -an; akin to Latin humus “earth” (see humus)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to chthonian

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

How to use chthonian in a sentence

  • In Classical Greece chthonic worship and hero worship seem on the whole to be more prominent than that of the gods.

    The Heroic Age|H. Munro Chadwick

  • She was also "a queen over death and the dead," a chthonic characteristic.

    The World of Homer|Andrew Lang

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
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