Cthulhu en · PROPN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /kəˈθuːlu/ widely used spelling pronunciation
- /kəˈtuːlu/
Etymology
Invented in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft for his short story The Call of Cthulhu. Possibly based on chthonic (“dwelling under the earth”).
Meanings
-
A gigantic fictional humanoid alien god being described with a head resembling an octopus and dragon wings and claws, around whom an insane cult developed.
Then, bolder than the storied Cyclops, great Cthulhu slid greasily into the water and began to pursue with vast wave-raising strokes of cosmic potency.
1928, H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kutulu | alternative | lexicographic | |
| Ktulu | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Cthulhuesque · Cthulhic · Cthulhian
Relateds
Translations (16)
ru Кту́лху (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · ga Cuitiliú (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · el Κθούλου (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · he קת׳ולהו (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · zh 克蘇魯 /克苏鲁 (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · mr क्थूलू (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · pl Cthulhu (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · mk Ктху́лху (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · es Cthulhu (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · pt Cthulhu (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · fr Cthulhu (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · de Cthulhu (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · ko 크툴후 (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · th คธูลู (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · eo Ĥtulho (a huge fictional humanoid alien god) · ja クトゥルフ (a huge fictional humanoid alien god)