Phlegethon

[ fleg-uh-thon, flej- ]

noun
  1. Also called Pyr·i·phleg·e·thon [pir-uh-fleg-uh-thon, -flej-] /ˌpɪr əˈflɛg əˌθɒn, -ˈflɛdʒ-/ .Classical Mythology. a river of fire, one of five rivers surrounding Hades.

  2. (often lowercase) a stream of fire or fiery light.

Origin of Phlegethon

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Latin, from Greek phlegéthōn “blazing, flaming,” noun use of present participle of phlegéthein “to blaze”; see origin at phlegm

Other words from Phlegethon

  • Phleg·e·thon·tal, Phleg·e·thon·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Phlegethon in a sentence

  • Pyriphlegethon is a stream of fire, which coils round the earth and flows into the depths of Tartarus.

    Phaedo | Plato
  • This is that Pyriphlegethon, as the stream is called, which throws up jets of fire in different parts of the earth.

    Phaedo | Plato
  • But souls of lighter guilt abide a year in Tartarus, and then drift out down the streams Cocytus and Pyriphlegethon.

    Letters on Literature | Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for Phlegethon

Phlegethon

/ (ˈflɛɡɪˌθɒn) /


noun
  1. Greek myth a river of fire in Hades

Origin of Phlegethon

1
C14: from Greek, literally: blazing, from phlegethein to flame, blaze

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012