Oedipal
/ˈiːdɪpəl/noun
Relating to Oedipus or to the psychological conflict described by Freud involving unconscious desire for one parent and rivalry with the other.
Did you know?Freud named the Oedipus complex after Sophocles’ tragedy, in which Oedipus unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother before discovering the truth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pṓds / *ped-
“Foot; the root behind words for walking, standing, and measurement”
Ancient Greek
Greek
οἶδα (oida) + πούς (pous)
“The traditional components of Oidipous: “I know” or “swollen” combined with “foot,” though the exact name formation is debated”
5th Century BCE
Greek
Οἰδίπους (Oidípous)
“Oedipus, the tragic Theban king whose exposed feet were pierced as an infant”
16th Century
Latin/English
Oedipus
“The name of Sophocles’ tragic hero, adopted into English literary usage”
1890s
English
Oedipus complex
“Freud’s term for an unconscious child-parent desire and rivalry pattern, named after the Greek myth”
20th Century
English
Oedipal
“Relating to Oedipus or to the psychoanalytic complex associated with him”