arethusa

A1R1E1T1H4U1S1A1
/ˌæɹɪˈθjuːzə/

noun

A bog orchid, Arethusa bulbosa, sole species of the genus Arethusa, having a magenta flower; the dragon's mouth.

Similar
bog orchid
OriginAncient Greek Ἀρέθουσα →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

arethusa1

nounarethusa (plural arethusas)

plural arethusas

  1. A bog orchid, Arethusa bulbosa, sole species of the genus Arethusa, having a magenta flower; the dragon's mouth.

    Synonyms: bog orchid

Arethusa2

proper noun
  1. Greekhuman sciencesA nereid nymph, who became a fountain.

    Arethusa arose / From her couch of snows / In the Acroceraunian mountains,——

    1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Arethusa”, in Mary W[ollstonecraft] Shelley, editor, Posthumous Poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley, London: […] [C. H. Reynell] for John and Henry L[eigh] Hunt, […], published 1824, →OCLC, page 157
  2. Greekhuman sciencesOne of the Hesperides nymphs.
  3. astronomy95 Arethusa, a main belt asteroid.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA bog orchid, Arethusa bulbosa, sole species of the genus Arethusa, having a magenta flower; the dragon's mouth.

Similar
bog orchid

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekἈρέθουσα
  2. EnglishArethusa

From Ancient Greek Ἀρέθουσα (Aréthousa, literally “The Waterer”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Ἀρέθουσα
  • Ἀρέθουσα (Aréthousa)nereid nymph who became a fountain
Esperanto Aretuzo
  • Aretuzonereid nymph who became a fountain
French Aréthuse
  • Aréthusenereid nymph who became a fountain
Greek Αρέθουσα
  • Αρέθουσα (Aréthousa)nereid nymph who became a fountain
Italian Aretusa
  • Aretusanereid nymph who became a fountain
Latin Arethūsa
  • Arethūsanereid nymph who became a fountain
Polish Aretuza
  • Aretuzanereid nymph who became a fountain
Portuguese Aretusa
  • Aretusanereid nymph who became a fountain
Russian Арету́са, Арету́за
  • Арету́са (Aretúsa)nereid nymph who became a fountain
  • Арету́за (Aretúza)nereid nymph who became a fountain
Spanish Aretusa
  • Aretusanereid nymph who became a fountain
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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