Definitions
Wiktionary
- n. A soldier or a subordinate civil officer who executes orders of a superior without protest or pity; -- sometimes applied to bailiffs, constables, etc.
Etymologies
- Latin Myrmidones, from Ancient Greek Μυρμιδόνες (Myrmidones), a tribe of warriors led by Achilles to the Trojan War. Folk etymology in Ovid's time derived the tribe's name from μυρμηδών ("ant-nest", from μύρμηξ, "ant"). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Fortunately, not all journalists are such myrmidon.”
“He is one of those writers who finds the exact word for absolutely everything, which gives his prose an oddly poetic effect, full of terms like ‘triforium’ and ‘chasuble’, ‘pontificalia’ and ‘myrmidon’.”
“The husbands clutching their hands for succor, in hopes that their own bell-ends wouldn't swell like the proverbial baby's arm holding a poisonous apple and kill them from the pecker up, bore foreheads, fiveheads even, that could only be described as battlefields depicting their hairlines' loss of ground under withering fire from the pussywhipping myrmidon at their sides.”
“The first myrmidon neither knew nor cared whether this reticence was born of a desire to save their own lives, or superstitious dread of some Gorn fertility goddess, or misgivings about the fate of the new warrior caste he still dreamed of building even now.”
““An impediment, and a slaver,” she said, involuntarily allowing her own teeth to emerge in a long-suppressed expression of hostility as she used the maneuvering thrusters to dislodge the hated second myrmidon.”
““I could not help but notice,” the first myrmidon said, “that it was your authorization code that opened the auxiliary vessel bay for me.””
“A proximity alarm sounded, abruptly snapping the first myrmidon out of his musings.”
“With a muttered grumble, the second myrmidon acceded, exiting the cramped cell.”
“The second myrmidon backed away muttering and growling, then approached a nearby data console and began tapping into the long-range scan functions.”
“Although the first myrmidon appeared as authoritative and steady as ever, his facial and cranial scales seemed to be growing discolored, graying slightly around the edges as though he were finally beginning to succumb to the radiation exposure that he and his troopers had experienced at Sazssgrerrn.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘myrmidon’.
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Not in the Periodic Table
Words that sound like they might be the names of elements of the periodic table, but that aren't. Many of the words listed here were actually proposed as names for substances their creators thought...
tentorium, columbarium, nasturtium, deuterium, caladium, valerian, concordium, synangium, chorium, geranium, hymenium, pyrenium and 310 more...
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phrontistery - m
from phrontistery.info
mabble, mabsoot, macadamize, macarism, macarize, macaronic, macerate, macerator, machair, machairodont, machicolation, machinule and 898 more...
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250 Cherry-Picked Words
Juicy words for the intermediate and advanced speller
consomme, miniaceous, nankeen, smaragdine, stramineous, vitellary, allemande, beguine, bransle, charabanc, margaritaceous, chaconne and 238 more...
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Mythical Beings
mermaid, manticore, fairy, brownie, dwarf, elf, leprechaun, selkie, gremlin, puck, pixie, genie and 97 more...
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briwref's list
defalcation, macerate, beldam, nescience, ochlocracy, bibelot, estivate, spatulated, introversive, mastoidal, belletristic, objurgation and 108 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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Steampunk
Words used quite often in steampunk
ansible, airship, chymical, valve, clockwork, dirigible, thaumaturgy, copper, bronze, difference engine, gear, rivets and 516 more...
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LIT - Iliad - key words and protagonists
abduct, abducting, abductor, Achaea, Achaean, Achilles, advise, Aegean, Aegean Sea, Aegina, aegis, Aeneas and 713 more...
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olelickerish
acnestis, myrmidon, mutande, licentious, lugubrious, obsequy, quidnunc, steatopygous, frisson, termagant, emanuensis, hill of venus
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Beyond Questions
Does pork cavort?, Do bungalows have..., Do burro(w)s have..., What do zappa zap?, indubitability, indisputability, in spades, myrmidon, West Lothian ques..., Lagrange multipliers, ultramontanism, conundrum and 18 more...
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inquiryqueue's list
words delicious to pronounce
apostrophe, asphodel, anemone, cantaloupe, cantalevered, cardamom, coriander, petrichor, sycamore, luminous, tendril, peculiar and 122 more...
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All The Words
I enjoy collecting words, for I have no fear of them ever running out.
tatterdemalion, panopticon, idioglossia, hypnagogue, hypnopomp, defenestration, anacoluthon, scofflaw, affront, edifying, palimpsest, naufrage and 475 more...
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Power: Doms and Subs
expressing the relationship of power between the superior and subordinate; the attainment of; the human tendencies in relation to;
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via Weird and Wonderful Words
Catch-all for things culled from Weird and Wonderful Words, More Weird and Wonderful Words, and Totally Weird and Wonderful Words, by Erin McKean, et al.
aboulia, alexiteric, angletouch, dactylion, alveary, sparlire, glabella, philtrum, pallium, heart-spoon, hyperprosexia, paraprosexia and 438 more...
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To Learn
enervate, redolent, distaff, approbation, arrogate, bonhomie, palliate, calumny, panoply, contumacious, edify, dyspeptic and 188 more...
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bintalshamsa's list
My Favorite Words
weltschmerz, perspicacity, idée fixe, invigilator, salubrious, tchotchke, ex nihilo, invidious, malapropism, naïve, sardonic, elide and 1402 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for myrmidon.
seanahan That is a truly odd sentence. Sep 12, 2008
yarb The landlord, who was trying if he could not sing in the kitchen louder than she could scream in the parlour, and swore he heard no music but his own, was at last obliged to introduce the myrmidons of the police to the distressed lady, just in time to rescue her from the necessity of a surrender at discretion.
- Lesage, The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, tr. Smollett, bk 1 ch. 3 Sep 11, 2008
arby Get outta my brain, you!
*waves cane threateningly in seanahan's direction* Oct 5, 2007
seanahan My brain too. Maybe we're actually the same person with multiple personality disorder! Oct 4, 2007
arby This is another one where my brain does a weird "double-vowel" transformation - I always thought it was spelled "myrmidion". Oct 4, 2007