wine-dark en · ADJ
Etymology
The traditional translation/calque of Ancient Greek οἶνοψ (oînops, “with the appearance of wine”), equivalent to wine + dark.
Meanings
-
(especially, literary, not-comparable, of the sea) Resembling the dark color (or perhaps other properties) of red wine.
The Trojan War was probably real enough, but the myths of Aeneas crossing the wine-dark Mediterranean to lay the foundations of the Roman Empire in Italy, and Brutus's subsequent journey to fill Britain with descendants of the Trojans, are myths.
2015, Anthony Adolph, Brutus of Troy: And the Quest for the Ancestry of the British, page 200:Near-synonyms: vinous, vinaceous, wine-blue, winelike
He had that type of countenance which dim tradition was already beginning to assign to the Son of Man—the perfectly oval face, the waved and wine-dark hair, the glowing complexion, the eyes whose depths seemed to be lighted by some holy spiritual flame within—of Him who had been fairer than the children of men.
2015, Frederic W. Farrar, Gathering Clouds: A Tale of The Days of Saint Chrysostom:
- (especially, literary, not-comparable, of the sea) Resembling the dark color (or perhaps other properties) of red wine. ▸ Of a specific color among several that represent red wine.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| winedark | alternative | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Synonyms
winelike · vinaceous · winelike · vinous · wine-blue · vinous · vinaceous · wine-blue