Phaëthon

[ fey-uh-thuhn, -thon ]

noun

, Classical Mythology.

1. a son of Helios who borrowed the chariot of the sun and drove it so close to earth that Zeus struck him down to save the world.

Phaethon

¹

/ ˈfeɪəθən /

noun

1. an asteroid (6.9 km in diameter) that has an orbit approaching close to the sun and releases fragments of dust that enter the earth's atmosphere as meteors

Phaëthon

²

/ ˈfeɪəθən /

noun

1. Greek myth the son of Helios (the sun god) who borrowed his father's chariot and nearly set the earth on fire by approaching too close to it. Zeus averted the catastrophe by striking him down with a thunderbolt

Word History and Origins

Origin of Phaëthon¹

< Greek Phaéthōn, special use of present participle of phaéthein to shine

Example Sentences

Sol had promised Phaethon, his son, to fulfil all his wishes.

From Project Gutenberg

Phaethon is by some represented as the first king, who reigned in Chaonia, and Epirus.

From Project Gutenberg

Helios had another son named Phaethon, whose mother was Clymene, one of the Oceanides.

From Project Gutenberg

Phaethon wished to get on the chariot of his father; he got his wish, but at the same instant he was struck with lightning.

From Project Gutenberg

But Phaethon never rose from the cold waters of the river into which he had fallen.

From Project Gutenberg