| A | B |
|---|
| achilles' heel | vulnerable spot [his one mortal place] |
| adonis | handsome man [loved by Venus] |
| aegis | protection of [Athena's shield] |
| amazon | strong woman [race of female warriors] |
| atlas | collection of maps [Titan who held up the earth] |
| cassandra | person whose predictions are never believed [foretold the fall of Troy] |
| chimerical | fantastic or foolish [lion, goat, serpent monster] |
| elysium | heavenly place [part of the Underworld for heroes] |
| gorgon | ugly creature [snake-haired goddesses who turned onlookers to stone] |
| halcyon | calm [bird who calmed the water] |
| herculean | powerful [hero who completed 12 labors] |
| hydra | problem that is hard to get rid of [water monster who grew two heads when one was cut off] |
| labyrinth | maze [maze that held the Minotaur] |
| mentor | teacher or counselor [advisor of Odysseus] |
| midas | rich/greedy person [king who wished everything to turn to gold] |
| narcissism | abnormal love of self [youth who was cursed by falling in love with his own reflection] |
| nemesis | enemy [goddess of vengeance] |
| odyssey | long journey [from the hero who took 10 years to find his way home] |
| oedipal | pertaining to an abnormal attachment to the opposite sex parent [man who killed his father and married his mother] |
| olympian | majestic [race of gods] |
| paean | song of praise [name for Apollo; part of a prayer] |
| procrustean | rigid, strict [man who made everyone fit his bed] |
| protean | able to change [god who could change his shape] |
| siren | seductive, dangerous woman [lured sailors to their death] |
| stentorian | very loud [Greek herald who had the voice of 50 men] |
| stygian | dark and gloomy [river of the Underworld] |
| tantalize | tempt [man who was punished by forever hungering and thirsting for food he couldn't reach] |
| titanic | huge and powerful [race of giants] |
| academy | school or learned society [Plato's school] |
| arcadian | simple, peaceful [rustic area of Greece] |
| croesus | rich man [wealthy king] |
| cynic | one who doubts human motives [so critical they were called "dogs"] |
| draconian | very severe [harsh law-giver] |
| epicure | person of refined taste [one who pursues pleasure] |
| gordian | very difficult [knot Alexander cut with his sword] |
| laconic | brief, concise in speech [like a Spartan] |
| mausoleum | tomb [wife built tomb for her husband] |
| ostracism | exclusion [exile of people dangerous to the city] |
| philippic | bitter criticism [speeches against a dictator] |
| meander | wander [wandering river] |
| pyrrhic | victory at a great cost [Greek leader who won a victory with many casualties] |
| solecism | mistake in language [town far from Greece] |
| sophistry | clever and misleading argument [educated men who used logic for political gain] |
| spartan | rigorous [city state known for military discipline] |
| stoic | unemotional [philosophy advocating acceptance of divine will] |
| sword of Damocles | ever-present danger [used to show a servant that a king's life wasn't so easy] |
| sybarite | one devoted to pleasure [inhabitant of city devoted to excess] |
