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Charybdis

[kuh-rib-dis]

Origin

noun

a whirlpool in the Strait of Messina off the NE coast of Sicily. Modern name, Galofalo, Garofalo.

Classical Mythology. a daughter of Gaea and Poseidon, a monster mentioned in Homer and later identified with the whirlpool Charybdis. Compare Scylla (def. 2).

Related forms

Cha·ryb·di·an, adjective

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Charybdis

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Charybdis is always a great word to know.

So is Trojan War. Does it mean:

a ten-year war waged by the Greeks under Agamemnon against the Trojans to avenge the abduction of Helen and ending in the burning of Troy

one of several sea nymphs, part woman and part bird, who lure mariners to destruction by their seductive singing

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Collins

World English Dictionary

Charybdis (kəˈrɪbdɪs)

—n
	Compare Scylla a ship-devouring monster in classical mythology, identified with a whirlpool off the north coast of Sicily, lying opposite Scylla on the Italian coast

Cha'rybdian

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

Charybdis

whirlpool off the coast of Sicily, now known as Galofalo, 1759, from Gk. Kharybdis, of unknown origin. Cf. Scylla.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary