Lethe
noun
a river in Hades whose water caused forgetfulness of the past in those who drank of it.
Lethean
-
a word derived from
Lethe.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It's less a lethal than a Lethean weapon, ie something resembling the river Lethe's mind-numbing waters which induce eternal forgetfulness of everything but better films on the same subject.
From The Guardian ● May 22, 2010
Wave thy wand of slumberous power, Moistened in Lethean dews, To charm the busy spirits of the hour, And brighten memory's malignant hues.
From Ormond, Volume II (of 3) or, The Secret Witness by Charles Brockden Brown
As in Virgil's Elysian fields a glimpse is afforded into the dark philosophy of human existence, and we see the Lethean bank crowded with spirits, who taste and become prepared to live again—so here.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 58, Number 358, August 1845 by Various
The poppy, from its somniferous effects, has been made symbolic of sleep and oblivion; hence Virgil calls it the Lethean poppy, whilst our old pastoral poet, William Browne, speaks of it as "sleep-bringing poppy."
From The Folk-lore of Plants by T. F. Thiselton (Thomas Firminger Thiselton) Dyer
This blank tract of repulsive land, so strangely dedicated to death, had lost every hint of Lethean likeness.
From An Ambitious Woman A Novel by Edgar Fawcett
