Dictionary

apple of discord en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈæp(ə)l əv ˈdɪskɔːd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈæp(ə)l əv ˈdɪskɔɹd/ (General-American)

Etymology

A reference to the μῆλον τῆς Ἔριδος (mêlon tês Éridos, “apple of Eris”) in Greek mythology, a golden apple inscribed ‘for the fairest female’ which Eris (known as Discordia to the Romans), the goddess of discord and strife, tossed in the midst of the feast of the gods at the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. This provoked a dispute among Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera as to who was the most beautiful, and eventually led to the Trojan War.

Meanings

1. An object or topic which sows anger and dissension; something which causes argument, rivalry, or strife.
   • The apportionment of U.S. military assistance to Turkey and Greece has become an apple of discord almost as bitterly disputed by the recipients as the one Aphrodite received from Paris, which touched off the Trojan Wars. 1992, Monteagle Stearns, “The 70 Percent Solution to Our Military Aid Dilemma”, in Entangled Allies: U.S. Policy toward Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus, New York, N.Y.: Council on Foreign Relations Press, →ISBN, page 40:
   • He [Pope Pius VII] had hardly regained Rome when a domestic incident in the Bonaparte family became the immediate cause of that struggle between Pope and Emperor which only ended with the downfall of Napoleon's power. This apple of discord was the outraged honour of a Protestant girl, which the Holy Father maintained in the face of her angered Imperial brother-in-law. 1875, Mary H[elen Agnes] Allies, “The Apple of Discord”, in The Life of Pope Pius the Seventh, London: Burns and Oates, Portman Street and Paternoster Row, →OCLC, page 91:
   • He has determined to enter the cabinet surrounded with creatures only, and, as to the Parliament, to trust to his dexterity and strength in throwing the apple of discord, occasions for doing which will, he imagines, soon and frequently occur. 1804 May 19, “Summary of Politics”, in William Cobbett, editor, Cobbett’s Weekly Political Register, volume V, number 20, London: Printed by Cox and Baylis, Great Queen Street; published by Richard Bagshaw, Bow Street, Covent Garden; …, →OCLC, column 768:
   • As in the old days when the tribes were fighting each other over hunting grounds, territories and agricultural land, today DRC [the Democratic Republic of the Congo] is prone to many internal conflicts. Especially in the eastern part of the country today's apples of discord appear to be the much-coveted minerals such as gold, diamonds, coltan, and uranium. 2008, Anthonie Th. Polet, “Between Expectations and Reality in the DRC: Opportunities for Cimic”, in Sebastiaan J. H. Rietjens, Myriame T. I. B. Bollen, editors, Managing Civil-Military Cooperation: A 24/7 Joint Effort for Stability (Military Strategy and Operational Art), Aldershot, Hampshire; Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate Publishing, →ISBN, page 123:

Forms

Relateds

sticking point · bone of contention

Synonyms

golden apple

Translations (40)

cmn 禍根 /祸根 (object which sows anger and dissension) · pl kość niezgody (object which sows anger and dissension) · la mālum discordiae (object which sows anger and dissension) · cs jablko sváru (object which sows anger and dissension) · bg я́бълка на раздо́ра (object which sows anger and dissension) · pl jabłko niezgody (object which sows anger and dissension) · is þrætuepli (object which sows anger and dissension) · ja 争いの種 (object which sows anger and dissension) · cs Eridino jablko (object which sows anger and dissension) · pt pomo de discórdia (object which sows anger and dissension) · da stridens æble (object which sows anger and dissension) · el μήλο της έριδας (object which sows anger and dissension) · it pomo della discordia (object which sows anger and dissension) · cmn 金蘋果 /金苹果 (object which sows anger and dissension) · sv tvisteämne (object which sows anger and dissension) · eo pomo de la malakordo (object which sows anger and dissension) · de Zankapfel (object which sows anger and dissension) · be яблык разладу (object which sows anger and dissension) · pt pomo da discórdia (object which sows anger and dissension) · mk јаболко на раздорот (object which sows anger and dissension) · it mela della discordia (object which sows anger and dissension) · gl mazá da discordia (object which sows anger and dissension) · el μήλον της έριδος (object which sows anger and dissension) · sv erisäpple (object which sows anger and dissension) · kk бүлік алмасы (object which sows anger and dissension) · sv stridsäpple (object which sows anger and dissension) · ro mărul discordiei (object which sows anger and dissension) · ko 불화의 사과 (object which sows anger and dissension) · ja 不和の林檎 (object which sows anger and dissension) · fr pomme de discorde (object which sows anger and dissension) · fi kiistakapula (object which sows anger and dissension) · id apel perselisihan (object which sows anger and dissension) · ka განხეთქილების ვაშლი (object which sows anger and dissension) · ru я́блоко раздо́ра (object which sows anger and dissension) · nl twistappel (object which sows anger and dissension) · sv stridsfråga (object which sows anger and dissension) · uk яблуко розбрату (object which sows anger and dissension) · hy կռվախնձոր (object which sows anger and dissension) · et tüliõun (object which sows anger and dissension) · es manzana de la discordia (object which sows anger and dissension)

wikipedia: Greek mythology · wikipedia: Jacob Jordaens · wikipedia: Museo del Prado