erebus
erebus Lexical Profile
• noun
An active stratovolcano located on Ross Island in Antarctica, famous for being the southernmost historically active volcano on Earth.
In Greek mythology, the primordial personification of darkness and the shadowy region of the underworld through which the souls of the dead must pass before reaching Hades.
"The epic poem described the perilous descent of the hero's soul into the pitch-black depths of Erebus."
A figurative state or place of profound darkness, obscurity, or gloom.
"After the power grid failed, the windowless subterranean facility was plunged into a terrifying Erebus."
Word Origin & Etymology
From Latin Erebus, derived from the ancient Greek Erebos, which represented both the primordial deity of darkness and the shadowy region of the underworld. It is believed to stem from the Proto-Indo-European root *h1regw-es- meaning 'darkness'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.