Augean

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin Augeas +‎ -an. Augeas is a figure in Greek mythology whose stables were never cleaned until Hercules was given the task of cleaning them.[1]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ɔːˈd͡ʒiːən/

Adjective

Augean (comparative more Augean, superlative most Augean)

  1. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Augeas.
  2. Very filthy.
  3. Huge, immense, Herculean.
    an Augean task

Derived terms

References
  1. Ariadne’s Thread: A Guide to International Tales Found in Classical Literature by William F. Hansen (2002; Cornell University Press; →ISBN, 9780801436703), page 160
      Herakles Cleans the Augean Stables
      One of the best-known stories attached to Herakles tells how in one day he removed the dung from King Augeias’s cattle yard, which had not been cleaned in years.

Further reading
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