sword of Damocles

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• General-American: /ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz/
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From the following story: Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste that fortune first-hand. In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging directly above his head, held only by a single horse-hair. Immediately, he lost all taste for the festivities and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate. Dionysius had successfully conveyed a sense of the constant threat under which a powerful man lives. From Ancient Greek Δαμοκλῆς (Damoklês).

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: سيف مسلت — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Armenian: դամոկլյան սուր (damoklyan sur) — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Bulgarian: дамо́клев меч (damóklev meč) — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Catalan: espasa de Dàmocles — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Chinese Mandarin: 達摩克利斯之劍 /达摩克利斯之剑 (Dámókèlìsī zhījiàn) — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Danish: damoklessværd — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Dutch: zwaard van Damocles — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Esperanto: glavo de Damoklo — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Finnish: Damokleen miekka — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• French: épée de Damoclès — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Georgian: დამოკლეს მახვილი (damoḳles maxvili) — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• German: Damoklesschwert — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Greek: Δαμόκλειος σπάθη (Damókleios spáthi) — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Hausa: takobin damokilis — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Hebrew: חרב דמוקלס — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Hungarian: Damoklész kardja — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Italian: spada di Damocle — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Japanese: ダモクレスの剣 (Damokuresu no ken) — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Norwegian Bokmål: damoklessverd — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Norwegian Nynorsk: damoklessverd — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Polish: miecz Damoklesa — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Portuguese: espada de Dâmocles — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Russian: дамо́клов меч (damóklov meč) — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Spanish: espada de Damocles — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Swedish: damoklessvärd — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
• Turkish: Demokles'in kılıcı — thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune