Lethe

[ lee-thee ]

/ ˈli θi /

noun

Classical Mythology. a river in Hades whose water caused forgetfulness of the past in those who drank of it.

(usually lowercase) forgetfulness; oblivion.

Origin of Lethe

< Latin < Greek, special use of lḗthē forgetfulness, akin to lanthánesthai to forget

Related formsLe·the·an

[li-thee-uh n, lee-thee-uh n] /lɪˈθi ən, ˈli θi ən/, Le·thied, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lethean

No; unless in that land, whither her face is set, she find the fabled Lethean stream.
The Death Shot|Mayne Reid
Had Juliet so seen her love tokens dishonoured the sooner would she have sought the lethean herbs of the good apothecary.
The Four Million|O. Henry
It is not a vulgar sensuality, a Lethean torpor; the triumph of the grosser nature over the eternal principle within.
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, February 1844|Various
This blank tract of repulsive land, so strangely dedicated to death, had lost every hint of Lethean likeness.
An Ambitious Woman|Edgar Fawcett

O'er me, Lethean darkness, creep Unfelt as tides through dead men's bones!
The Burning Wheel|Aldous Huxley

British Dictionary definitions for lethean

Lethe

/ (ˈliːθɪ) /

noun

Greek myth a river in Hades that caused forgetfulness in those who drank its waters

forgetfulness

Derived FormsLethean (lɪˈθiːən), adjective

Word 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lethean

Lethe

river of Hades (whose water when drunk caused forgetfulness of the past), from Greek lethe, literally "forgetfulness, oblivion," related to lethargos "forgetful," lathre "secretly, by stealth," lathrios "stealthy," lanthanein "to be hidden." Cognate with Latin latere "to be hidden" (see latent). Related: Lethean.

Culture definitions for lethean

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.