Etymology of English words derived from Greek mythology 1.

) Odyssey - Noun from Odysseus, Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. He was known for the Ten-Year journey he had took to return home after the Trojan War and formulating the famous Trojan horse trick. - A long journey, trip, quest , pilgrimage - My grandma said she wanted do some soul-searching after grandpa died, thats why she decided to embark in an odyssey. 2.) Echo - Noun from the nymph Echo, she was punished by Hera she tried to distract her from discovering the affair of Zeus with one of her fellow nymphs. - Repetition of a sound by reflection of sound waves from a surface, a repetition or an imitation of something - I could hear the echoes of their voices in the cave. 3.) Narcissist - Noun - from Narcissus, a man known for his great beauty, he became in love with own reflection in a pool of water, and turned into a flower when he died. - One who excessively loves or admires himself - If youre a narcissist, dont expect everyone to like you. 4.) Labyrinth - Noun the maze where the Minotaur was confined, it was designed by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete - a maze-like structure, complex puzzle, or situation - There seems to be no way out in her labyrinth of problems. 5.) Ambrosial - Noun from ambrosia, which is name of the food of the gods - Something that is befitting for gods, delicious, pleasant to the taste or smell, heavenly - She is luring her husband back her by wearing an ambrosial perfume. 6.) Gorgon - Noun from the collective name of three sisters who have snake hairs, and have the power to turn someone into a stone by merely looking at them, one of them is Medusa. - A woman who is repulsively ugly or terrifying - My neighbor, Mrs. Smith, is not only a gorgon, but also mean-spirited, thats why almost everyone in our neighborhood is avoiding her. 7.) Aphrodisiac

Noun - From the name of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty Something that stimulates sexual desires, such as food, or drug Balut, a Filipino street-food, is popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac. 8.) Arachnid - Noun - From the name of Arachne, a mortal woman, a great weaver who was punished by Athena after she challenged her into a weaving contest - Class of invertebrate insects with eight legs, such as spiders and scorpions - Misty developed an arachnophobia when she was trapped for three days in a cave full of spiders, scorpions, and other arachnids and insects. 9.) Augean - Adjective - from the fifth out of twelfth task of Hercules that was given to him by king Eurystheus, which was to clean the Augean stables in one day - Something that is filthy due to long neglect, or is corrupt - My sister dreaded the Augean task of cleaning our bathroom, so she instead volunteered to do the dishes and clean the house. 10.) Fury - Noun - The three terrible winged goddesses with serpentine hair, Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, who punish evil doers. - Anger, rage, violent outburst - She seemed to be composed, calm and collected when she confronted the other woman, but she still cannot hide that fury in her eyes. 11.) Giant / Titanic - Noun - From gigantes, the children of Uranus and Gaea, - Adjective From titans, descendants of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Heaven), that ruled during the legendary Golden Age - A person or thing of great size - Having great stature or enormous strength, Of enormous scope, power, or influence - Our problems are not giants, but God is. - Just to hear Bong Revilla being called the titanic action star makes me want to laugh. 12.) Hermaphrodite - Noun - From Hermaphroditos, Aphrodite and Hermes son - Organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes

An earthworm is a hermaphrodite animal. It has male and female sex organs. 13.) Tantalizing - Adjective - From the name of Tantalus son of Zeus and the nymph Plouto - Attractive and tempting - He is seducing her with those tantalizing eyes. 14.) Cloth - Noun - From the name Clotho, one of the three Fates, who was responsible for spinning the thread of human life - Fabric or material formed by weaving, knitting, pressing, or felting natural or synthetic fibers, A piece of fabric or material used for a specific purpose - Your clothes express your individuality. 15.) Oedipus/Electra complex - Noun - From the name Oedipus, who became king of Thebes. He was destined to kill his father Laius, and marry his mother, Jocasta. - A child who is fixated to his/her mother. - Noun from the name of Electra, daughter of Agamemnon, to want to exact revenge against her mother, Clytemnestra, for killing her father - A child who is fixated to his/her father - Oedipus complex is usually associated with mamas boys, while Electra complex with daddys girls. 16.) Apollonian/Dionysian - Adjective - From the name of Apollo, god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry - Characterized by clarity, harmony, and restraint, high-minded - Adjective - God of wine, celebrations, of ritual madness and ecstasy - Of an ecstatic, orgiastic, or irrational nature; frenzied or undisciplined - She is an apollonian person who is logical, orderly and balance, while her sister is her complete anti-thesis, a dionysian who is irrational, disorderly, and a complete rule-breaker. 17.) Aegis - Noun one of the things that is attributed to Zeus, and also to Athena , a shield - A Protection, guidance - There are rumors in the office that May, despite of her poor performance, could still not be fired, because she is under the aegis of the General Manager. 18.) Hypnosis

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Noun - From Hypnos, the god of sleep A sleeplike condition Those criminal put their victims under the state of hypnosis to fulfill their evil plans. Erotic Adjective from the name of Eros, the Greek god of love Sexually stimulating, arousing or awakening That pervert loves watching erotic films. Chaos Noun - From Chaos, the most ancient of gods; the personification of the infinity of space preceding creation of the universe The state of emptiness, disorder, extreme confusion If there is no law in this world that exists, we will all live in chaos.

Idiomatic Expressions
1.) The face that launched a thousand ships

Attributed to Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and was kidnapped by Paris, as a result of his judgment at Mt. Ida. Her abduction became one of the main reasons for Trojan War. - Any one person causing disaster, especially war. A reference to Helen of Troy - That femme fatale has a face that could launch a thousand ships. 2.) Midas Touch - Derived from the most famous King Midas, who is popularly remembered for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold. - an ability to make and manage large amounts of money - My dad really had that Midas touch, which made him successful in all of his businesses. 3.) Food for the Gods - Also known as Ambrosia, the food of the gods. - Something especially delicious to taste or smell, Luscious, unbelievably delicious delicacies. - My moms cooking can be compared to the food for the gods. 4.) Pandora's Box - From allegedly the first woman, who was made out of clay. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mold her out of earth as part of the punishment of mankind for Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire - To open a Pandora's box means to introduce yourself to trouble - If you will still keep on doing things without thinking first, you will just open a Pandoras Box of problems.

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An enormous wooden horse brought in Troy, as trophy. During the night, hidden soldiers from the horse's belly emerged and sacked the city. - Subversion or destruction from a seemingly serene person, people, or object, especially from the inside - Gordon is constructed a conniving, Trojan horse plan that will lead to the downfall of his business competitors. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts - An allusion to the story of the wooden horse of Troy, used by the Greeks to trick their way into the city. - Do not trust your enemies - Im just reminding you that she is your enemy. You know what they say with enemies, beware of Greeks bearing gifts. Dont be too trusting. Cupids Dart - arrow of Eros the god of love struck, or Cupids arrow in the Roman version - Something that triggers us humans to fall so swiftly in love or at least are felled by lust for someone else. Modern research validates that not only could pheromones be involved under the radar, but that additional physiological responses are triggered by all sorts of internal chemistry, including endocrinal and hormonal stimulation in dopamine, adrenaline, endorphins, vasopressin, oxytocin and norepinephrin. - For the first time, Jay felt that a cupids dart had struck him when she saw Medea. Golden age - Refers to the first in a sequence of four or five (or more) Ages of Man. "Golden Age" denotes a period of peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity. - A period in a field of endeavor when great tasks were accomplished. - Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, was part of the Hollywoods Golden Age. Apple of discord - a reference to the Golden Apple of Discord, which the goddess Eris inscribed "to the fairest" and tossed in the midst of the festivities at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, thus sparking a vanity-fueled dispute between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite that eventually led to the Trojan War - Used to signify the core, kernel, or crux of an argument, or a small matter that could lead to a bigger dispute.

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That IPod 4s became the apple of discord between the two sisters. Between Scylla and Charybdis/Between a rock and a hard place - Describe the monsters or destruction faced by Odysseus and his shipmates when facing Scylla and Charybdis in crossing through the narrow Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily. - When the undesirable choice between two options appears equally difficult - She is caught between a rock and a hard place. She cant decide whether she will report her mother to the police for her crimes, or just hide her. Cadmean victory - from Cadmus the legendary founder of Thebes in Boeotia - a reference to a victory involving one's own ruin - Achieving a cadmean victory is meaningless. To climb Parnassus - A mountain in Greece, sacred to Apollo and the Muses, and famous for a temple of Apollo and for the Castalian spring. - to write poetry - Narcissus decided to climb Parnassus to pour out his feelings. Argus-eyed - According to Grecian fable, Argos had 100 eyes, and Juno set him to watch Io, of whom she was jealous. - Jealously watchful - Hera is argus-eyed on her husband, because of his philandering ways. Lotus-eater - one of a people encountered by Odysseus in North Africa who lived in indolent forgetfulness, drugged by the fruit of the legendary lotus - someone indifferent to the busy world, A lazy person devoted to pleasure and luxury - Being a lotus-eater will not bring you any success in life. Sisyphean task - From Sisyphus, a king of Corinth, punished in Hades for his misdeeds by eternally having to roll a heavy stone up a hill: every time he approached the top, the stone escaped his grasp and rolled to the bottom - actually or seemingly endless and futile - For a teacher, having to teach students who does not have any interest to learn, and is unwilling to learn, is a Sisyphean task.