Meaning & use
Eurydice
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Meanings
proper nounproperliterary
In Greek myth, the wife of the musician Orpheus, who died from a snake bite and was followed into the underworld by him.
Grammar: A personal name used without an article.
Patterns
- Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus sang so beautifully that the gods let him try to bring Eurydice back.
The play retells the story of Eurydice from her own point of view.
Eurydice vanished forever when Orpheus looked back.
proper nounproperliterary
The title or character in many artworks, operas and poems based on the myth, used as a symbol of loss.
Grammar: Often a title: Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice.
Patterns
- Eurydice by someone
The poem Eurydice explores grief and memory.
A modern opera called Eurydice opened last month.
Many painters have shown Eurydice among the shadows.
Common combinations
- Orpheus and Eurydice
- We studied the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice.
- lose Eurydice
- He lost Eurydice because he turned around.
- rescue Eurydice
- Orpheus set out to rescue Eurydice.
- Eurydice in the underworld
- Paintings show Eurydice in the underworld.
Word family
- Orpheus proper noun
- the musician husband of Eurydice
- Orphic adjective
- relating to Orpheus or his mysteries
- Hades proper noun
- god of the underworld in the story
- underworld noun
- the realm of the dead
Commonly confused: Eurydice or Euridice? Eurydice or Eurydike?
Eurydice vs Euridice
Euridice is the Italian spelling used in some operas, while Eurydice is the usual English spelling.
Eurydice vs Eurydike
Eurydike is a transliteration closer to the Greek, but Eurydice is the normal English form.
Practice
In Greek myth, Eurydice is the wife of ___.
Choose one answer.
Eurydice is the wife of Orpheus, the musician. The other heroes are from other myths.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Eurydice”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.