Phlegethon
Americannoun
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Also called Pyriphlegethon. Classical Mythology. a river of fire, one of five rivers surrounding Hades.
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(often lowercase) a stream of fire or fiery light.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Phlegethon
First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Latin, from Greek phlegéthōn “blazing, flaming,” noun use of present participle of phlegéthein “to blaze”; see origin at phlegm
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.
He’d rather stand in the River Phlegethon, or get attacked by arai, or be trampled by giants.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
They followed Bob through the wasteland, tracing the route of the Phlegethon as they approached the storm front of darkness.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Her fiery hair burned across her shoulders like a miniature Phlegethon waterfall.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
“The Phlegethon keeps the wicked in one piece so that they can endure the torments of the Fields of Punishment. I think...it might be the Underworld equivalent of ambrosia and nectar.”
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
The Phlegethon flowed in the same direction until about halfway across the plain, where it met another river of black water—maybe the Cocytus?
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
