eumenides

eumenides — plural noun

1. in ancient Greek stories, a group of goddesses who punished people for committin

1.plural nounC2
Definition

in ancient Greek stories, a group of goddesses who punished people for committing terrible crimes, especially crimes against their own family members. The name Eumenides was a polite way of referring to them, because people feared saying their real name, the Furies.

Example

The Eumenides are often shown with snakes in their hair and tears of blood on their cheeks.

plural-only proper noun: the Eumenides + plural verb

In Aeschylus' famous play, the Eumenides chase Orestes for killing his mother Clytemnestra.

literary context: play title as cultural reference

Common collocations
  • the Eumenides
  • the story of the Eumenides
  • dedicated to the Eumenides
  • play called the Eumenides
  • the Eumenides pursue
  • the Eumenides punish
Synonyms
  • the Furies

    the older, more direct name that the Greeks avoided saying aloud; 'Furies' emphasises their role as punishers, while 'Eumenides' is the polite euphemism

  • the Erinyes

    the original Greek name; used in scholarly writing. 'Erinyes' sounds more academic and technical than 'Eumenides.'

  • the Kindly Ones

    a literal translation of 'Eumenides' from Greek; used in some English translations of classical texts

Grammar Patterns

the Eumenides

Usage Note

Always used with the definite article 'the' and a plural verb. This word appears almost exclusively in discussions of classical mythology, ancient Greek drama, and literary criticism. The singular form is not used in standard English.

Common Mistakes

The Eumenides was angry at the criminal.
The Eumenides were angry at the criminal.
Eumenides takes a plural verb even though it names a single group.
I saw an eumenides in my dream.
I read about the Eumenides in my mythology book.
Eumenides is a proper noun, always capitalised and never used without 'the.'

Synonym discussion

Sense: plural noun/1

The Eumenides, the Furies, and the Erinyes all refer to the same three goddesses in Greek mythology, but each name carries a different tone and context. 'Erinyes' is the original ancient Greek name and feels most scholarly — you find it in academic works on classical religion. 'Furies' is the common English translation and emphasises their terrifying role as punishers who drove criminals mad. 'Eumenides' (the Kindly Ones) is a euphemism the Greeks used to avoid angering these dangerous goddesses by naming them directly. In modern usage, 'Furies' appears most often in general writing, while 'Eumenides' is reserved for literary discussions, especially of Aeschylus' play. For example, a student might say 'the Furies haunted Orestes' in casual summary, but a literature professor would refer to 'the transformation of the Furies into the Eumenides in the final scene of the Oresteia.'

the Furiesthe Erinyesthe Kindly Ones

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the Eumenides
  • called the Eumenides
  • known as the Eumenides
  • the Eumenides of Aeschylus

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

From Greek Εὐμενίδες (Eumenides), meaning 'the kindly ones' or 'the well-disposed ones'. It was formed from eu- ('good, well') and menos ('spirit, passion, disposition'). The Greeks used this flattering name as a euphemistic way to refer to the dreaded Erinyes (Furies), the goddesses of vengeance — fearing that speaking their true name would attract their wrath. The word entered English in the 16th century through Latin translations of Greek drama.