stygian

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 9, 2008 is: stygian • \STIJ-ee-un\ • adjective, often capitalized 1 : of or relating to the river Styx 2 : extremely dark, gloomy, or forbidding Examples: When the power went out in the building, the halls and stairwells were plunged into stygian darkness. Did you know? "Stygian" comes to us (by way of Latin "stygius" and Greek "stygios") from "Styx," the name of the principal river in Hades, the underworld of the dead in Greek mythology. This is the river over which Charon the boatman was said to ferry the spirits of the dead; the Greeks and Romans would place a coin in the mouth or hand of the deceased to serve as fare. It is also the river by which the gods swore their most binding oaths, according to the epics of Homer. English speakers have been using "stygian" to mean "of or relating to the river Styx" since the early 16th century. From there the meaning broadened to describe things that are as dark, dreary, and menacing as one might imagine Hades and the river Styx to be. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.