Phrase guide
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.
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noun
The stables where King Augeas kept his vast herd.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Greek, idiomatic, plural, plural-normally
Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An extremely filthy or untidy place or situation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic, plural, plural-normally
Synonyms: pigpen, pigsty, sty
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A place or situation characterized by corruption or moral decay.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, idiomatic, plural, plural-normally
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: den of iniquity, sty
Antonyms: none provided
noun
(Greek mythology) the extremely dirty stables that were finally cleaned by Hercules who diverted two rivers through them
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stable, stalls, horse barn
History
From Augean (“pertaining to Augeas”) + stables. Augeas was a legendary king of Elis in Greek mythology who owned numerous divine cattle (3,000 head, according to some later retellings) which produced a huge amount of dung in stables that had not been cleaned for over 30 years. The cleaning of the stables was the fifth of the twelve Labours of Hercules, which Hercules achieved by rerouting the Alpheus and Peneus rivers through them.
Across languages
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
