Odysseus
/oʊˈdɪs.i.əs/noun
The legendary Greek hero of Homer’s Odyssey, king of Ithaca, famed for cunning and endurance.
Did you know?Ancient commentators already connected Odysseus’s name with Greek words for anger and hatred, which is why his name has long felt like it carries a curse-like charge.
Etymological Timeline
Mycenaean / Pre-Greek?
Greek
*Olysseus / *Odysseus
“An early or reconstructed form of the hero’s name, with no fully secure origin.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ὀδυσσεύς (Odysseús)
“The name of the hero of epic tradition.”
Classical Greek
Greek
ὀδύσσομαι (odýssomai)
“To be angry at, hate, or resent; a traditional ancient association with the name.”
Late Latin
Latin
Ulysses
“The Latin form of the Greek hero’s name.”
Middle English
English
Ulysses / Odysseus
“The legendary Greek adventurer, especially in classical and literary usage.”
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