name · noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ækˈtiːən/
/ækˈtiːɒn/
/ækˈteɪən/
/ækˈteɪɒn/
/ˈæktɪən/
1
name
Meaning 1
Grandson of Cadmus, transformed into a stag by Artemis in book III of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A cuckold.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To cuckold.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, rare, slang, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Latin Actaeōn, from Ancient Greek Ἀκταίων (Aktaíōn). In Greek mythology, Artemis transformed Actaeon into a stag with horns on his head. In European folklore, horns were considered the sign of a cuckold, whence the noun sense of Actaeon, "cuckold", and the verb sense "to cuckold", are derived. Compare horned, put horns on, etc.
Across languages
Translations
10 source translations are retained for this English entry.