Phaëthon

[ fey-uh-thuhn, -thon ]

nounClassical Mythology.
  1. a son of Helios who borrowed the chariot of the sun and drove it so close to earth that Zeus struck him down to save the world.

Origin of Phaëthon

1
<Greek Phaéthōn, special use of present participle of phaéthein to shine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for Phaethon (1 of 2)

Phaethon

/ (ˈfeɪəθən) /


noun
  1. an asteroid (6.9 km in diameter) that has an orbit approaching close to the sun and releases fragments of dust that enter the earth's atmosphere as meteors

British Dictionary definitions for Phaëthon (2 of 2)

Phaëthon

/ (ˈfeɪəθən) /


noun
  1. Greek myth the son of Helios (the sun god) who borrowed his father's chariot and nearly set the earth on fire by approaching too close to it. Zeus averted the catastrophe by striking him down with a thunderbolt

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012