lethean

L1E1T1H4E1A1N1
/liːˈθi.ən//ˈliθi.ən/

adjective

Of or relating to death or forgetfulness.

OriginLatin Lēthē →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

lethean1

adjective
  1. Of or relating to death or forgetfulness.
    1 more example

    Men said that the garden had been roofed over against the sun with great sheets of lead and copper, leaving no cranny through which the tiniest star could peer down. Some swore that the privacy of its masters during their visits was ensured by a lethean slumber which Dwerulas, through his magic art, was wont to lay at such times upon the whole vicinity.

    1938 April, Clark Ashton Smith, “The Garden of Adompha”, in Weird Tales, volume 31

Lethean2

adjective
  1. Greekpoetichuman sciencesOf or relating to the river Lethe, one of the four rivers of Hades. Those who drank from it experienced complete forgetfulness.

    They ferry over this Lethean sound.

    1667, Milton, Paradise Lost
    2 more examples

    The cup which was offered to you when you departed from Elysium was to be the Lethean draught, which would make you forget the joys you had experienced[.]

    1813, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, The Memoirs of Prince Alexy Haimatoff, London: T. Hookham, jun., and E.T. Hookham, page 99

    Accordingly, she one day took the Lethean crown from off his head: immediately all his old ideas rushed on his mind, and inflamed him with an ardent desire to revisit his country.

    1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 80

Origin

lethean · adjective

  1. LatinLēthē
  2. Englishlethean

From Latin Lēthē, from Ancient Greek Λήθη (Lḗthē).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Lethean · adjective

  1. LatinLēthē
  2. EnglishLethean

From Latin Lēthē, from Ancient Greek Λήθη (Lḗthē).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French léthéen, léthéen
  • léthéenof or relating to death or forgetfulness
  • léthéenof or relating to river Lethe
Italian leteo
  • leteoof or relating to river Lethe
Latin Lethaeus, Lethaeus
  • Lethaeusof or relating to death or forgetfulness
  • Lethaeusof or relating to river Lethe
Spanish leteo, leteo
  • leteoof or relating to death or forgetfulness
  • leteoof or relating to river Lethe

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

entheal
Cite this entry
APA

lethean. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lethean

MLA

“lethean.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lethean. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lethean,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lethean.

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