Hades

[hey-deez]

noun

1. Classical Mythology.

   1. the underworld inhabited by departed souls.

   2. the god ruling the underworld; Pluto.

2. (in the Revised Version of the New Testament) the abode or state of the dead.

3. (often lowercase),  hell.

Hades

/ ˈheɪdɪən, ˈheɪdiːz, heɪˈdiːən /

noun

1. Greek myth

   1. the underworld abode of the souls of the dead

   2. Pluto, the god of the underworld, brother of Zeus and husband of Persephone

2. New Testament the abode or state of the dead

3. informal,  (often not capital) hell

Hades

1. The Greek and Roman god of the underworld and the ruler of the dead. Also called Dis. The underworld itself was also known to the Greeks as Hades.

The Greek and Roman underworld later became associated with the hell of Christianity, as in the expression “hot as Hades.”

Other Word Forms

• Hadean adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hades¹

First recorded in 1590–1600

Related Words

• inferno 
• misery 
• nightmare 
• purgatory