Stygian (adj)
stij-ee-an
dark or gloomy.
Stygian originally referred to Styx, one of the mythological rivers of the underworld. Ancient Greek Stýx likely shares an origin with several words relating to hatred, and the Greeks once believed that swearing on the river’s name created an unbreakable vow. Stygian was first recorded in English in the 1560s.
Example sentences
“she sat in the damp, stygian basement and considered her options.”
Praetorian (adj) (noun) pri-taw-ree-un of or relating to a praetor (a magistrate in the Roman republic). a soldier of the Praetorian Guard (Roman imperial army) First recorded in 1375–1425; late…
