Chap. 6 Vocab Mythology And History

Front 1

Adonis

Back 1

very handsome young man
(from Adonis, loved by Aphrodite)

Front 2

aegis

Back 2

shield or protection; auspices; sponsorship (shield of Zeus)

Front 3

amazon

Back 3

tall, strong, bold woman (from Amazons, race of women warriors)

Front 4

ambrosial

Back 4

exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell; extremely delicious ("not mortal" food of gods)

Front 5

atlas

Back 5

book of maps (from giant who supported heavens on shoulders)

Front 6

auroral

Back 6

pertaining to or resembling the dawn; rosy; radiant;(Roman goddess of dawn)

Front 7

bacchanlian

Back 7

jovial or wild with drunkenness (Roman god of wine)

Front 8

Cassandra

Back 8

one who phrophesies doom or disaster; pessimist; (gave prophecy of power to Apollo) (ant. Pollyanna)

Front 9

Chimerical

Back 9

fantastic; unreal; impossible; absurd; (fire-breathing monster with lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tail)

Front 10

Draconian

Back 10

cruel;harsh;severe;ironhanded; (Athenian lawmaker who drew up a harsh code of laws)

Front 11

echolalia

Back 11

automatic or immediate repitition of what others say (echo who loved narcissus and pined away until nothing left but voice)

Front 12

Elysian

Back 12

delightful; blissful; heavenly; (Elysium, paradise where after death blessed mortals favored by gods dwell

Front 13

eristic

Back 13

prone to controversy; disputatious; argumentative (Eris goddess of discord)

Front 14

fauna

Back 14

animal life; animals of a particular region or period (faunus Roman god of animals)

Front 15

flora

Back 15

plant life; plants of a particular region or period (Roman goddess of flowers)

Front 16

forum

Back 16

medium of place for open discussion and expression of ideas (marketplace or other place of assembly for judicial business in Roman city)

Front 17

hector

Back 17

bully; intimidate with threats; bluster (bravest of the Trojans)

Front 18

herculean

Back 18

very difficult; requiring the strength of hercules (hero of superhuman strength)

Front 19

hermetic

Back 19

airtight; secret; obscure; magical;(Zeus' messenger; patron of travelers; linked with inventor of magic seal to keep vessel airtight)

Front 20

iridescent

Back 20

having colors like the rainbow (Iris, goddess of the rainbow)

Front 21

jovial

Back 21

jolly;merry; good-humored (Jove or Jupiter king of Romann gods)

Front 22

labyrinthine

Back 22

full of confusing passageways; intricate; complicated; (fabled maze in Crete)

Front 23

laconic

Back 23

using words sparingly; terse; consise; (lakonikos, "spartan")

Front 24

lethargic

Back 24

unnaturally drowsy; sluggish; dull (Lethe, river in Hades, whose water when drunk caused forgetfullness of the past)

Front 25

Lucullan

Back 25

sumptuous; luxurious; (lucullus, roman host who have lavish banquets)

Front 26

marathon

Back 26

long distance foot race of 26 miles 385 yards (greeks defeated persian invaders Pheidippides raced to athens with news and died)

Front 27

martial

Back 27

pertaining to war; warlike (mars, god of war)

Front 28

mentor

Back 28

wise and trusted advisor (Odysseus entrusted to educate son)
tutor; coach

Front 29

mercurial

Back 29

quick; vivacious; active; lively (ant. saturnine) (Roman hermes)

Front 30

myromidon

Back 30

obedient and unquestioning follower (martial tribe that accompanied Achilles to Trojan War)

Front 31

narcissistic

Back 31

in love with oneself; excessively fascinated and gratified by one's own physical and mental qualities (Narcissus handsome youth who fell in love with own image)

Front 32

nectar

Back 32

something exceptionally delicious to drink ("death-overcoming" drink that made gods immortal)

Front 33

nemesis

Back 33

due punishment for evil deeds (goddess of vengance)

Front 34

odyssey

Back 34

long series of wanderings or travels (epic poem dealing with 10 year wandering home)

Front 35

Olympian

Back 35

majestic; godlike; lofty (highest mountain in Greece, home to Zeus and gods)

Front 36

paean

Back 36

song or hymn of praise, joy, or triumph (paean hymn in praise of Apollo, god of deliverance)

Front 37

palladium

Back 37

safeguard; protection (statue of goddess pallas athena preventing fall of troy)

Front 38

panic

Back 38

sudden, overpowering terror (Pan, rural god whose unexpected shout would terrify)

Front 39

phillippic

Back 39

bitter denunciation; tirade (orations by Demosthenes denouncing King Philip of Macedon

Front 40

plutocratic

Back 40

having great influence because of one's wealth (Plutus, god of wealth)

Front 41

procrustean

Back 41

cruel or inflexible in enforcing conformity (Procrustes villian who made travelers fit the length of his bed)

Front 42

protean

Back 42

exceedingly variable; readily assuming different forms or shapes (proteus sea god who could readily change shape to elude capture)

Front 43

Pyrrhic

Back 43

ruinous; gained at too great a cost (pyrrhus who suffered enormous losses in a victory over the Romans)

Front 44

saturnine

Back 44

heavy; dull; sullen; gloomy; morose (ant mercurial) (saturn, father of jupiter, symbol of heaviness and dullness)

Front 45

siren

Back 45

dangerous, attractive woman (creatures whose sweet singing lured mariners to destruction on rocks)

Front 46

solon

Back 46

legislature; wise lawgiver (Solon, noted athenian lawgiver)

Front 47

spartan

Back 47

marked by simplicity and avoidance of comfort; (Sparta, whose citizens pursued those traits)

Front 48

Stentorian

Back 48

very loud; (Stentor legendary herald whose voice was as loud as fifty voices)

Front 49

Stygian

Back 49

infernal; especially dark; gloomy; (Styx, river of the lower world leading into Hades)

Front 50

tantalize

Back 50

excite hope but prevent its fulfillment; tease (tantalus, kept hungry and thirsty with food and water very near but out of reach)

Front 51

terpsichorean

Back 51

pertaining to dancing; (terpischore muse of dancing)

Front 52

thespian

Back 52

pertaining to the drama or acting(Thespis reputed father of greek drama)

Front 53

titanic

Back 53

of enormous strength, size, or power (Titans, lawless, powerful giants defeated by Zeus)