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chthonian

[thoh-nee-uh n]
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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.

RELATED WORDS

primitive, homegrown, domestic, endemic, aboriginal, autochthonous, congenital, inbred, inherent, inherited, innate, natural, original, connate, unacquired

Nearby words

  1. chrysotile,
  2. chrétien,
  3. chrétien de troyes,
  4. chrétien, jean,
  5. chs.,
  6. chthonic,
  7. chu,
  8. chu chiang,
  9. chu hsi,
  10. chu kiang
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 chthonic

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

    The World of Homer|Andrew Lang

  • 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
British Dictionary definitions for chthonic

chthonian

chthonic (ˈθɒnɪk)

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
Word Origin and History for chthonic
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper