7 results for: draconian

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dra·co·ni·an

Audio Help [drey-koh-nee-uh

–adjective

1.	of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Draco or his code of laws.

2.	(often lowercase) rigorous; unusually severe or cruel: Draconian forms of punishment.

Also, Draconic.

[Origin: 1810–20; < L Dracōn- (s. of Draco) + -ian

]

—Related forms

Dra·co·ni·an·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
draconian

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dra·co¹ Audio Help (drā'kō) Pronunciation Key
Athenian politician who codified the laws of Athens (c. 621). Lauded for its impartiality, his code was unpopular for its severity.

Dra·co'ni·an adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dra·co·ni·an Audio Help (drā-kō'nē-ən, drə-) Pronunciation Key
adj. Exceedingly harsh; very severe: a draconian legal code; draconian budget cuts.

[After Draco.]

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
draconian

1876 (earlier Draconic, 1680), from Draco, Gk. statesman who laid down a code of laws for Athens 621 B.C.E. that mandated death as punishment for minor crimes. His name seems to mean lit. "sharp-sighted" (see dragon).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

draconian
adjective
of or relating to Draco or his harsh code of laws; "Draconian measures"

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Draconian

Dra*co"ni*an\, a. Pertaining to Draco, a famous lawgiver of Athens, 621 b. c.

Draconian code, or Draconian laws, a code of laws made by Draco. Their measures were so severe that they were said to be written in letters of blood; hence, any laws of excessive rigor.

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