Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A river in the underworld of Greek mythology: The River Acheron is one of the five rivers of Hades. In myth, it is the river of woe or pain across which the ferryman Charon transported the souls of the deceased.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • In the epic, the hero must cross the River Acheron to enter the realm of the dead.
  • The souls gathered on the banks of the Acheron, waiting for Charon's boat.

Advanced Usage

• "the Acheron": The definite article "the" is commonly used when referring to this mythological river.
  • Dante describes the Acheron in his "Inferno".
• Metaphorical use for profound sorrow or a boundary to death: The name can be used poetically to represent grief or a point of no return.
  • His grief was a personal Acheron he had to cross.

Variants and Related Words

• Acherontic (adj): Pertaining to the River Acheron; infernal, gloomy.
  • The poet used Acherontic imagery to describe his despair.

Synonyms

• River of Hades: A general term for any of the underworld rivers.
• Styx: Another, often more famous, river of the Greek underworld, but with a distinct mythological role.

Related Phrases

• Cross the Acheron: To die or to pass into the afterlife or a state of misery.
  • The old king finally crossed the Acheron.

Related Idioms

• As dark/mournful as the Acheron: Used to describe something extremely gloomy or sorrowful.
  • The abandoned house was as silent and mournful as the Acheron.

Noun

1. (Greek mythology) a river in Hades across which the souls of the dead were carried by Charon