Lethe
[ lee-thee ]
/ ˈli θi /
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noun
Classical Mythology. a river in Hades whose water caused forgetfulness of the past in those who drank of it.
(usually lowercase) forgetfulness; oblivion.
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Origin of Lethe
<Latin <Greek, special use of lḗthē forgetfulness, akin to lanthánesthai to forget
OTHER WORDS FROM Lethe
Le·the·an [li-thee-uhn, lee-thee-uhn], /lɪˈθi ən, ˈli θi ən/, Lethied, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for Lethe
British Dictionary definitions for Lethe
Lethe
/ (ˈliːθɪ) /
noun
Greek myth a river in Hades that caused forgetfulness in those who drank its waters
forgetfulness
Derived forms of Lethe
Lethean (lɪˈθiːən), adjectiveWord Origin for Lethe
C16: via Latin from Greek, from lēthē oblivion
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for Lethe
Lethe
[ (lee-thee) ]
In classical mythology, a river flowing through Hades. The souls of the dead were forced to drink of its waters, which made them forget what they had done, said, and suffered when they were alive.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.