Meanings
- ChristianityThe destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator.
A great black bird, Apollyon's bosom-friend, / Sailed past, nor beat his wide wing dragon-penned / That brushed my cap—perchance the guide I sought.
1855, Robert Browning, chapter 27, in “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”
Origin
- Biblical Hebrewאֲבַדּוֹן“destruction, ruin”
- Ancient GreekἈπολλύων“Apollyon, the destroyer”
- EnglishApollyon
From Ancient Greek Ἀπολλύων (Apollúōn, “Apollyon, the destroyer”), from ἀπόλλυμι (apóllumi, “utterly destroy”) via phono-semantic matching with Biblical Hebrew אֲבַדּוֹן (ʾaḇaddôn, “destruction, ruin”).
More words from Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Ἀπολλύων
- Ἀπολλύων (Apollúōn)The destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator
Dutch Apollyon
- ApollyonThe destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator
French Apollyon
- ApollyonThe destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator
German Apollyon
- ApollyonThe destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator
Hindi अपुल्लयोन
- अपुल्लयोन (apullayon)The destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator
Korean 아폴리온
- 아폴리온 (apollion)The destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator
Portuguese Apolião, Apolion
- ApoliãoThe destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator
- ApolionThe destroying angel of the abyss, the undoer or disintegrator
Cite this entry
Apollyon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Apollyon
“Apollyon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Apollyon. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Apollyon,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Apollyon.
Source: Apollyon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.