Atreidae

A1T1R1E1I1D2A1E1

proper noun

Collectively, the family and descendants of the mythical Mycenaean king Atreus, including either of his sons Menelaus and Agamemnon, who both feature in the Iliad.

OriginLatin Atrīdae ← Ancient Greek Ἀτρεῖδαι →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

proper nounthe Atreidae pl (plural only)
  1. Greekpluralplural onlyhuman sciencesCollectively, the family and descendants of the mythical Mycenaean king Atreus, including either of his sons Menelaus and Agamemnon, who both feature in the Iliad.

    Yet the poet refuses to project the evil of the Atreidae so far into the past as to make the arch-offender that ancestor of Agamemnon […]

    1924, Herbert Weir Smyth, “VI. Orestea. I: Agamemnon”, in Aeschylean Tragedy, page 159

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekἈτρείδης
  2. Ancient GreekἈτρεῖδαι
  3. LatinAtrīdae
  4. EnglishAtreidae

Borrowed from Latin Atrīdae, from Ancient Greek Ἀτρεῖδαι (Atreîdai), nominative plural of Ancient Greek Ἀτρείδης (Atreídēs). By surface analysis, Atreus + -id.

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish Atrydzi
  • Atrydzifamily and descendants of Atreus

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

aeriatederadiateraadeite
Cite this entry
APA

Atreidae. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atreidae

MLA

“Atreidae.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atreidae. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Atreidae,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atreidae.

Source: Atreidae on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.