Tartarus

noun

Tar·​ta·​rus ˈtär-tə-rəs How to pronounce Tartarus (audio)
Synonyms of Tartarusnext
: a section of Hades reserved for punishment of the wicked

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Tartaros

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Tartarus was in 1513

Dictionary Entries Near Tartarus

tartar sauce

Tartarus

Tartary

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Tartarus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tartarus. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on Tartarus

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Tartarus

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Games & Quizzes

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...