Root words
Gods and immortals
Pop Culture
The Natural World
Everyday Nouns
100
This man was forced to stand in a puddle of water with delicious fruit hanging over his head for all eternity. He suffered hunger and thirst, but the tempting food and water were always just out of reach.
What is Tantalus
100
This goddess goes from town to town like the wind, spreading news.
What is Rumor
100
This athletic company alludes to the Greek goddess of victory
What is Nike
100
These three stars were believed to be part of the man who was placed into the sky after Artemis killed him.
What is Orion's Belt
100
this elderly man helps young Telemachus by giving him advice while Odysseus, Telemachus' father, is missing in action. From his name we get the word for a mature adult who helps a younger person navigate through life.
What is Mentor
200
This godlike nymph caused mischief and was believed to be to blame for that creepy feeling you get when you are alone. We have named a psychological condition after him because of this: " the ____-ic attack."
What is Pan
200
The god of the sun gives us the name for the element that makes up most of the sun: Helium.
What is Helios
200
These twins are best known as Gemini in Astrology, they are also characters in the Japanese manga Sailor Moon.
What is Castor and Pollux
200
This man fell in love with his own reflection. One of the goddesses turned him into a beautful flower so that his beauty would always be around for all to see. Because of his self-centeredness, psychologists named a disorder after him.
What is Narcissus
200
This man was believed to be the most beautiful man who ever lived, even the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone fell in love with him. Today we might call an attractive man by this name, and a man who is obssessed with bodybuilding might have an "_____ complex."
What is Adonis
300
this mortal man was condemned to roll a stone uphill for eternity, never reaching the top. Today, we use a variation of this man's name to insult someone who lacks strength or courage.
What is Sisyphus
300
This being is said to have existed before anything else; we use his name in the Big Bang theory.
What is Khaos
300
This powerful bleach cleaner takes its name from a Greek warrior featured in The Illiad . This man is considered to be the second strongest soldier fighting in the trojan war, after Achilles.
What is Ajax
300
This God is a powerful monster who fathered cerberus and other monsters. Today, his name has created a word that is used to describe a terrible tropical storm
Who is Typhon (typhoon)
300
"The Fates" are three immortals who control the lives of mortals with golden thread. One of these women spins the thread, and from her name we derive the word for textiles weaved from many threads.
What is Clothos
400
This adjective meaning "great" or "immense" is derived from the name of the strongest man in Greek mythology. He was challenged to complete twelve tasks that were believed to be impossible.
What is Herculean (Hercules)
400
This is the titan-creator and ruler of all the water on Earth, the god who is above Poseidon.
What is Oceanos
400
This woman was Jason's lover and is known for being vengeful and crafty. In the most well-known story she kills her own children to get revenge on her former lover. The modern-day character bearing her name stars in multiple movies in which her hot temper, checkered past and outspokenness land her in trouble
who is Medea (Madea)
400
This hero of the Trojan War was made immortal when his mother dipped him into the river Stix, holding him by his infant heel. Today we use his name not only as an anatomical term, but as an idiom that means "a point of weakness."
What is Achilles. (Achilles' Heel/tendon).
400
these immortal nymphs live on a remote island and sing songs that enchant sailors, who then sail their ships toward the nymphs but wreck their ships on the jagged rocks surrounding the island. We use their name to refer to any loud, droning sound created for the purpose of alerting people to danger.
What are Sirens