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chthonic

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chtho·ni·an

   [thoh-nee-uhn]
–adjectiveClassical Mythology.
of or pertaining to the deities, spirits, and other beings dwelling under the earth.
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Also, chthon·ic  [thon-ik] .

Origin:
1840–50; < Gk chthóni(os) (chthon-, s. of chthṓn earth + -ios adj. suffix) + -an; akin to L humus earth (see humus)
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Word Origin & History

chthonic
1882, from Gk. khthonios "in the earth," from khthon "the earth, solid surface of the earth" (mostly poetic) from PIE root *dhghem- (cf. first element in chameleon, also L. humus "earth, soil," humilis "low;" Lith. zeme, O.C.S. zemlja "earth;" Skt. ksam- "earth" (opposed to "sky"); O.Ir. du, gen. don "place," earlier "earth"). Chthonian is from 1850.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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chthon·ic   (thŏn'ĭk)   
adj.   Greek Mythology
Of or relating to the underworld.

[From Greek khthonios, of the earth, from khthōn, earth; see dhghem- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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