Oedipus
/ˈiːdɪpəs/noun
A figure in Greek mythology and tragedy who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother.
Did you know?According to the myth, Oedipus’s ankles were pierced and bound when he was exposed as an infant, leaving the injury that inspired his name.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ped-
“Foot”
Ancient Greek
Greek
οἶδημα (oidēma)
“Swelling or swelling of the body”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πούς (pous), ποδός (podos)
“Foot”
5th Century BCE
Greek
Οἰδίπους (Oidipous)
“Swollen-foot; the mythic king of Thebes”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Oedipus
“Latin form of the Greek name”
Modern English
English
Oedipus
“The mythological king of Thebes, especially as portrayed in Sophocles’ tragedy”