Danaides

American  

[duh-ney-i-deez] / dəˈneɪ ɪˌdiz /

Also Danaidae

plural noun

Classical Mythology.

1. the 50 daughters of Danaus, 49 of whom were condemned to pour water forever into a leaky vessel for having murdered their husbands.

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Danaides British  

/ ˌdænɪˈɪdɪən, dəˈneɪɪˌdiːz, ˌdænɪəˈdiːən /

plural noun

1. the fifty daughters of Danaüs. All but Hypermnestra murdered their bridegrooms and were punished in Hades by having to pour water perpetually into a jar with a hole in the bottom

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Other Word Forms

• Danaidean
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Danaides

The history of practical medicine had been like the story of the Danaides.

From Medical Essays, 1842-1882 by Holmes, Oliver Wendell

He represents the punishment of the Danaides as a symbol of the incapacity of the human spirit to enjoy the natural charm of the recurring seasons of the year.

From The Roman Poets of the Republic by Sellar, W. Y.

Theology is truly the vessel of the Danaides.

From The System of Nature, Volume 2 by Holbach, Paul Henri Thiry, baron d'

It was like the cask of Danaides into which the public had been pleased to pour its deposits. 

From Chance A Tale in Two Parts by Conrad, Joseph

The "fifty sisters" are the fifty Danaides, who, for slaying their husbands, were condemned to pour water forever into a vessel full of holes.

From Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I by Spenser, Edmund