Tantalus

noun

Tan·​ta·​lus ˈtan-tə-ləs 

1

: a legendary king of Lydia condemned to stand up to the chin in a pool of water in Hades and beneath fruit-laden boughs only to have the water or fruit recede at each attempt to drink or eat

2

not capitalized : a locked cellarette with contents visible but not obtainable without a key

Examples of Tantalus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a mountain on Oahu named for the Greek myth of Tantalus, for whom satisfaction was always just out of reach. —Kristina Linnea Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024

The 42 mm timepiece is encased in tantalum, a rare, blue-grey, corrosion-resistant metal named after Tantalus of Greek mythology. —Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 23 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Tantalos

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1