stygian

See also: Stygian

English

WOTD – 5 May 2009

Etymology

From Latin stygius, from Ancient Greek Στύγιος (Stúgios, “relating to Styx”), from Στύξ (Stúx, “Styx, chief river of underworld”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈstɪd͡ʒ.i.ən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

stygian (comparative more stygian, superlative most stygian)

1. Alternative form of Stygian (“of or relating to the river Styx”).
2. (figuratively, literary)
   1. Infernal or hellish.
   2. Dark and gloomy.
      • 1913 January–May, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Gods of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as The Gods of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., September 1918, →OCLC, page 184:

        The things which the Stygian darkness hid from my objective eye […]

3. (color theory, of a perceived color) Having a luminosity below 0%.

Usage notes

• See also Stygian, which means "of, by or relating to the river Styx".

Hypernyms

(color):

• chimerical

Coordinate terms

(color):

• hyperbolic
• self-luminous

Translations

dark and gloomy

Armenian: մռայլ (hy) (mṙayl) Bulgarian: тъмен (bg) (tǎmen), мрачен (bg) (mračen) Czech: temný (cs) Finnish: synkkä (fi) German: düster (de), duster (de) Russian: мра́чный (ru) (mráčnyj), чёрный (ru) (čórnyj) Scottish Gaelic: doilleir Swedish: dunkel (sv), dyster (sv)

infernal or hellish

Armenian: դժոխային (hy) (džoxayin) Bulgarian: адски (bg) (adski) Czech: styžský, podsvětní Dutch: hels (nl), infernaal (nl) Finnish: helvetillinen (fi) Russian: а́дский (ru) (ádskij) Scottish Gaelic: ifrinneach

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