Rhadamanthus

R1H4A1D2A1M3A1N1T1H4U1S1
/ˌɹæ.dəˈmæn.θəs/

proper noun

A king of Crete, one of the three judges in Hades.

OriginAncient Greek Ῥαδάμανθυς →
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Rhadamanthys

  1. Greekhuman sciencesA king of Crete, one of the three judges in Hades.
nounRhadamanthus (plural Rhadamanthuses)

plural Rhadamanthuses · alternative Rhadamanthys

  1. figurativelyA strict and just judge.

    It was in vain to be a Rhadamanthus with the bells, and if an unfortunate bell rang without leave, to have it down inexorably and silence it.

    1859 December 13, Charles Dickens [et al.], “(please specify the name of the story)”, in Charles Dickens, editor, The Haunted House. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Whiting, […], →OCLC
    1 more example

    Nothing is now heard but the ticking of a quaint old timepiece on the summit of a bookcase. Ten minutes pass; he captures her knight; she takes his knight, and looks a very Rhadamanthus.

    1872 September – 1873 July, Thomas Hardy, “‘He Heard Her Musical Pants’”, in A Pair of Blue Eyes. […], volume II, London: Tinsley Brothers, […], published 1873, →OCLC, page 82

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekῬαδάμανθυς
  2. EnglishRhadamanthus

From Latin, from Ancient Greek Ῥαδάμανθυς (Rhadámanthus).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“Rhadamanthus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rhadamanthus. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Rhadamanthus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rhadamanthus.

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