GRE High Frequency Words : Greek Mythology

Myths:

One of the most colorful sources of words and phrases in the English language is the classical myths of ancient Greece, Rome and Germanic tribes. Although the myths may have faded, the words they inspired are still strong and vibrant today. Here is a collection to increase your own word power.

1. Adams a rain and a beautiful man.

2. Bacchanal a wild uninhibited orgy

3. Cassandra a prophet doomed to be ignored

4. Cornucopia an abundance: plenty

5. Halcyon peaceful prosperous times

6. Herculean requiring tremendous effort

7. Hermetic secret, sealed

8. Hydra a complicated problem

9. Iridescent rainbow like, colorful

10. Jovial jolly, hearty

11. Junoesque a stately, imposing beauty

12. Mercurial changeable, swift

14. Narcissistic self-absorbed exceedingly vain.

15. Nemesis a deadly adversary

16. Odyssey a long wandering adventure: a search

17. Olympian majestic

18. Panic wild frightful chaos

19. Phoenix something that is born from its own experience

20. Promethean boldly creative: inspirational life giving

21. Protean variable, versatile, creative

22. Saturnine gloomy, taciturn

23. Stentorian a loud deep voice

24. Tantalize a torment with unattainable things

25. Titanic powerful: huge

Here is a comprehensive sampling of words that allude to the myths :

1. Aegis: was the mantle and shield of Zeus. In modern usage it has become a vogue word to mean sponsorship, auspices, guidance

2. Antaean, Antaeus: The name Antaeus is used as a symbol of renewed vigor and invincibility. The adjective Antaean means invincible, possessing super human strength

3. Cassandra: Apollo gave Cassandra a gift of prophecy. Although she spoke the truth, nobody would believe her and she prophesied calamity and woe. Hence a person who is called Cassandra is a pessimistic prophet .The name is applied to anybody who utters warnings of trouble whether the prophecy is believed or not

4. Chimera; Chimerical: The Chimera was a monster that breathed fire had the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpent. The name of such an incongruous and fantastic combination is used to denote a wild dream, an illusion: the adjective chimerical means unreal visionary and extremely fanciful

5. Cornucopia: It is formed from two Latin words Cornu, horn and ‘copia’, supply wealth. Zeus broke off a goat’s horn and gave it to the nymph who had nursed him when he was an infant. This horn of ‘plenty’ would miraculously be replenished with all fruits that the nymph desired. Hence a cornucopia is a never-ending supply

6. Hector: Hector is the Trojan Hero who was overcome by Achilles. At one time the name was synonymous with ‘Hero’ it has now come to mean a bully or a braggart

7. Hydra – headed – One of the twelve labors of Hercules was the killing of Hydra, a water monster with nine heads. Hydra-headed means hard to eliminate or destroy. The term is applied to a condition or an evil, which apparently put down at one place will spring up in another

8. Janus like – Janus (after whom the month of January was named) was represented with two faces, looking in opposite directions, to illustrate his power of seeing both past and future at the same time .The Words Janus, Janus faced or Janus like means simply looking in two different directions or it can mean deceitful

9. Pandora’s box: According to Greek Mythology Pandora was the first woman. Though warned not to open the box given to her she was unable to curb her curiosity. When she opened she let loose all the evils that plague mankind – only hope remained. A Pandora’s box is a source of evil on which a lid must be kept

10. Sisyphean: Sisyphus, a cruel king in Greece was punished for his misdeeds. He had to roll a huge boulder uphill. No sooner had he pushed the rock to the (op of the hill than it slipped down again. So a never-ending labor is described as Sisyphean. Eg: the attempts of the wage earners to keep up with rising cost of living

11. Stygian: It refers to the nether world; it implies gloom and darkness

12. Titans: The Titans were the deities of tremendous strength, who fought with Zeus but were vanquished. A Titan is a giant in any field of endeavor a person of outstanding ability who towers above all others in his field

13. Achilles Heel: By dipping the infant Achilles into the river Styx, his mother made him invulnerable, except in the heel by which she held him. Therefore an Achilles heel means a weak spot

14. Adonis: This young shepherd beloved of Aphrodite was extremely handsome: hence his name is used to describe a very handsome man

15. Amazon: The Amazons were female warriors; hence Amazon means a strong woman, a female warrior

16. Ambrosia: Ambrosia, meaning deathless was the food of Gods. It is usually coupled with nectar, the name of the divine drink. Hence the expression ambrosia and nectar means a drink fit for the gods

17. Argus eyed: Argus was a monster with hundred eyes, some of which never closed. Quite naturally he served at times as a watchman. Hence Argus eyed means .vigilant, ever awake all observant

18. Augean stables: One of the labors of Hercules was the cleaning of the stables of King Augeas who had a herd of thirty thousand oxen. Their stalls have not been cleansed for thirty years.” To clean the Augean stables means to clear up a mess.”

19. Bacchanalian: Bacchus was the god of wine. Bacchanalian celebration was characterized by revelry or ecstatic frenzy

20. Cerberus: Cerberus was the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to the lower world. Hence his name is sometimes used to mean a watchdog, a conscientious guardian

21. Cyclopean: The Cyclopes were giants with a single round eye in the middle of the forehead. Cyclopean means huge massive

22. Harpy: The harpies were flying monsters with the heads of women and bodies and claws of vultures. Today the word ‘Harpy’ is sometimes used to denote a shrewish woman, but more often it means a greedy, grasping woman

23. Hermetic: Hermes, better known by. his Roman name, Mercury, was the Patron God of Magic. Alchemy in the middle ages was known as a hermetic art. To put a hermetic-seal on a bottle meant to twist the neck with flame and thereby seal it airtight. Hermetic and hermetically sealed refer, therefore to an impenetrable barrier

24. Jovial – Jovial means merry, inspiring mirth since persons born under the planet Jupiter are supposed to be joyful. Ancient Sculptors and poets often represented Jupiter as smiling upon mankind

25. Lotus eater – In the Odyssey, Odysseus and his men reach the land of (he lotus eaters who gave to some of the visitors the plant called lotus. When eaten this plant induced a state of dreamy content, together with forget fullness of .home and friends. A lotus-eater is therefore one who gives himself up to day dreaming and complete indolence

26. Narcissus – He was a handsome youth who fell in love with his own reflection. Therefore a person who is very vain of his beauty or of his accomplishments may be referred to by that name

27. Nemesis – She was the Goddess of retribution and punishment who humbled the proud and the arrogant. The word is used to denote an avenger and punisher and also the punishment itself

28. Paean – The Homeric name for Apollo , as Physician of the Gods, was Paean( healer or deliverer) Hymns of thanks giving lo Apollo from deliverance from evil began with an invocation “lo Paean”. The song itself came to be called a Paean. Today, a paean means a song of praise or thanksgiving, a shout or song of great exultation or triumph

29. Palladium – The image of Pallas Athena (Minerva) was called the palladium. As long as it stood within the city walls, Troy could not be taken by the Greeks. Hence, a safe guard something on which the safety of an individual, a people or an institution depends is called a palladium

30. Phoenix: refers to the bird that appeared only once every five hundred years. After being consumed by fire it arose fresh and youthful from its own ashes. The Phoenix symbolizes resurrection and immortality

31. Stentorian: Stentor, the Greek herald in the Trojan war, was the original loud speaker for his voice and could be heard all over the Grecian camp. Hence stentorian means bellowing loud –voiced

32. Trojan Horse: Having been unable to capture Troy by Siege, the Greeks resorted to stratagem. They constructed a colossal wooden horse, filled it with armed men and managed by trickery to have the unsuspecting Trojans break down part of their walls and draw the horse inside the city. The capture of Troy followed. Although the wooden horse was a Greek subterfuge, it is generally called the Trojan horse, the expression which has become a symbol of treacherous infiltration. The expression ‘Greeks bearing gifts’ comes from the same episode.’ To work like a Trojan’ and to fight like a ‘ Trojan’ are expressions that pay honor to the perseverance and bravery of the Trojans