Word Study
lethe
CIDE DICTIONARY
lethe, n. [See Lethal.].
Death. Shak. [1913 Webster]
lethe, n. [L., fr. Gr. lh`qh, prop., forgetfulness; akin to lanqa`nesqai to forget, lanqa`nein to escape notice.].
- A river of Hades whose waters when drunk caused forgetfulness of the past. [1913 Webster]
- Oblivion; a draught of oblivion; forgetfulness. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
lethe, n.
1 (in Greek mythology) a river in Hades producing forgetfulness of the past.
2 such forgetfulness.
1 (in Greek mythology) a river in Hades producing forgetfulness of the past.
2 such forgetfulness.
Derivative
Lethean adj.
Etymology
L, use of Gk lethe forgetfulness (as LETHARGY)
ROGET THESAURUS
lethe
Oblivion
N oblivion, obliviousness, lethe, forgetfulness, amnesia, obliteration of &c, insensibility to the past, short memory, treacherous memory, poor memory, loose memory, slippery memory, failing memory, decay of memory, failure of memory, lapse of memory, waters of Lethe, waters of oblivion, amnesty, general pardon, repressed memory, forgotten, unremembered, past recollection, bygone, out of mind, buried in oblivion, sunk in oblivion, clean forgotten, gone out of one's head, gone out of one's recollection, forgetful, oblivious, mindless, Lethean, insensible to the past, heedless, non mi ricordo, the memory failing, the memory deserting one, being at fault, being in fault, To the Future.For further exploring for "lethe" in Webster Dictionary Online