Eumenides

American  

[yoo-men-i-deez] / yuˈmɛn ɪˌdiz /

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) a euphemistic name for the Furies, meaning “the Kindly Ones.”

2. (italics) a tragedy (485 b.c.) by Aeschylus.

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Eumenides British  

/ juːˈmɛnɪˌdiːz /

plural noun

1. another name for the Furies, used by the Greeks as a euphemism

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Etymology

Origin of Eumenides

from Greek, literally: the benevolent ones, from eumenēs benevolent, from _eu- + menos spirit

Example Sentences

Aeschylus’ “Oresteia” concludes with “Eumenides,” depicting the establishment of the Areopagus court to replace cycles of vengeance, thus mythologizing the roots of jury trials.

From Salon

"A Greek playwright entered a tailor shop. The tailor asked him, 'Euripides?' The tragedian responded, 'Yes, Eumenides?'"

From Salon

In Eumenides, Apollo, chosen to represent Orestes in his murder trial, mounts a strikingly original argument: he reasons that Orestes’s mother is no more than a stranger to him.

From Literature

From the Furies of frightful aspect they became the Benignant Ones, the Eumenides, protectors of the suppliant.

From Literature

“We are fierce and cannot be deviated by man,” the Eumenides remind him.

From New York Times