Rhadamanthus en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌɹæ.dəˈmæn.θəs/
Etymology
From Latin, from Ancient Greek Ῥαδάμανθυς (Rhadámanthus).
Meanings
-
(figuratively) A strict and just judge.
It was in vain to be a Rhadamanthus with the bells, and if an unfortunate bell rang without leave, to have it down inexorably and silence it.
1859 December 13, Charles Dickens [et al.], “(please specify the name of the story)”, in Charles Dickens, editor, The Haunted House. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Whiting, […], →OCLC:Nothing is now heard but the ticking of a quaint old timepiece on the summit of a bookcase. Ten minutes pass; he captures her knight; she takes his knight, and looks a very Rhadamanthus.
1872 September – 1873 July, Thomas Hardy, “‘He Heard Her Musical Pants’”, in A Pair of Blue Eyes. […], volume II, London: Tinsley Brothers, […], published 1873, →OCLC, page 82:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhadamanthys | alternative | lexicographic | |
| Rhadamanthuses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |