Averno

[ uh-vur-noh; Italian ah-ver-naw ]

noun

1. a crater lake in S Italy, near Naples and the Tyrrhenian Sea, thought by ancients to be the entrance to the underworld.

Averno

/ aˈvɛrno /

noun

1. a crater lake in Italy, near Naples: in ancient times regarded as an entrance to hell Latin nameAvernusəˈvɜːnəs

Word History and Origins

Origin of Averno¹

from Latin, from Greek aornos without birds, from a- ¹+ ornis bird; referring to the legend that the lake's sulphurous exhalations killed birds

Example Sentences

Monte Nuovo,—is a mountain in the environs of Naples, which blocks up the valley of Averno.

From Project Gutenberg

As we all know, facilis descensus Averno est, and any man with natural greed in his veins is subject to temptation.

From Project Gutenberg

The motto, "Facilis descensus Averno," etc, epitomises the whole story.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a little cone 430 feet high, on the bank of Lake Averno, with a crater more than a mile and a half wide at the base.

From Project Gutenberg

"Facilis descensus Averno" is the motto over its downward path.

From Project Gutenberg