Mount Erebus

proper noun

A volcano in Ross Island, Ross Dependency, Antarctica; known for being the southernmost active volcano.

Meanings

proper noun

alternative Erebus

  1. A volcano in Ross Island, Ross Dependency, Antarctica; known for being the southernmost active volcano.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁regʷ-“to be dark”
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁régʷos“darkness”
  3. Ancient GreekἜρεβος / ἔρεβος“personification of darkness; darkness”
  4. LatinErebus“Greek personification of darkness”
  5. EnglishMount Erebus

By surface analysis, mount + Erebus. From Latin Erebus (“Greek personification of darkness”) and Ancient Greek Ἔρεβος / ἔρεβος (Érebos / érebos, “personification of darkness; darkness”), Proto-Indo-European *h₁régʷos (“darkness”), and Proto-Indo-European *h₁regʷ- (“to be dark”). * (sense 1): Coined by British explorer and naval officer James Clark Ross in 1841 after his ship, the HMS Erebus. * (sense 2): Coined by Canadian park ranger Morrison Parsons Bridgland in 1916 after the dark coloration of the mountain.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic جَبَل إِرِيبَاص
  • جَبَل إِرِيبَاص (jabal ʔirībāṣ)volcano in Antarctica
Chinese Mandarin 埃里伯斯火山
  • 埃里伯斯火山 (Āilǐbósī huǒshān)volcano in Antarctica
French mont Erebus
  • mont Erebusvolcano in Antarctica
German Mount Erebus
  • Mount Erebusvolcano in Antarctica
Korean 에러버스산
  • 에러버스산 (Ereobeoseu-san)volcano in Antarctica
Russian Э́ребус
  • Э́ребус (Érebus)volcano in Antarctica
Spanish monte Erebus
  • monte Erebusvolcano in Antarctica
Turkish Erebus Dağı
  • Erebus Dağıvolcano in Antarctica
Ukrainian Ере́бус
  • Ере́бус (Erébus)volcano in Antarctica
Cite this entry
APA

Mount Erebus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mount%20Erebus

MLA

“Mount Erebus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mount%20Erebus. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mount Erebus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mount%20Erebus.

Source: Mount Erebus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.