Greek Mythology Vocabulary Derived from Earth
and Lesser Gods
at·ro·phy from ATROPOS, the Fate who
cut man’s thread of life.
Pathology . a wasting away of the body
or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or
nerve damage.
2. degeneration, decline, or decrease, as from disuse: He argued that
there was a progressive atrophy of freedom and
independence of thought.
bac·cha·nal (from Bacchus, god of wine)
–noun 1.
a follower of Bacchus. 2. a drunken reveler. 3. an occasion of drunken revelry; orgy; bacchanalia.
ce·re·al (Frome Ceres AKA Demeter, goddess of
the grain)
–noun 1. any plant of the grass
family yielding
an edible grain, as wheat, rye, oats, rice, or corn. 2. the grain itself. 3. some edible preparation of it, especially a
breakfast food.
e·rot·ic (from Eros, Aphrodite’s handsome son, god of love)
1. arousing or satisfying sexual desire: an erotic dance.
2. of, pertaining to, or treating of sexual love;
amatory: an
erotic novel.
3. subject to or marked by strong sexual desire.
hy·men (from Hymen, god of the Wedding Feast)
–noun Anatomy . a fold of mucous membrane partly closing the external
orifice of the vagina in a virgin.
i·ris (from Iris, goddess of the rainbow)
–noun 1. Anatomy . the
contractile, circular diaphragm forming the colored
portion of the eye and containing a circular opening, the pupil, in its center.
2. Botany .
any plant of the genus Iris, having
showy flowers and
sword-shaped leaves. Compare iris
family. 3.
a flower of
this plant. 4. ( initial capital
letter 
) Classical
Mythology . a
messenger of the gods, regarded as the goddess of the rainbow. 5. a rainbow. 6. any appearance resembling a rainbow. 7. Movies, Television . an iris-in or iris-out. 8. Optics, Photography . iris
diaphragm.
ir·i·des·cent (from Iris, goddess of the rainbow)
–adjective
1. displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of
the rainbow.
–noun 2. an iridescent cloth, material, or other substance: new fall dresses
of imported iridescents.
mu·se·um (from the Nine Muses, inspiration)
–noun a building or place where works of art,
scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and
displayed.
nym·pho·ma·ni·a (from nymphs, beautiful maidens in nature)
–noun Pathology
. abnormally excessive and uncontrollable sexual desire in women.
sat·ire (from satyrs, merrymaking half man half goat creatures)
1. the use of
irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like,
in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice,
folly, etc. 2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human
folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule. 3. a literary genre comprising such compositions.