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Oedipus

Oedipus

15 9.9
A king in old Greek stories who does not know he killed his father and married his mother
  • proper noun
  • /ˈɛdɪpəs/
  • NSFW
translation icon : Edipo
  • The story of Oedipus reveals the consequences of pride and the search for truth.
  • Oedipus Rex
  • Oedipus the King
  • Oedipus complex

Oedipus in Oedipus Rex is going to make a choice.

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Examples

  • Oedipus was a Greek king who killed his father and married his mother.

  • I'm playing Oedipus, king of Thebes.

  • There is no evidence whatever that Oedipus wanted to kill his father and marry his mother.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • According to the messenger, Oedipus asked his daughters to bathe and clothe him before death.

    Academic text (1994)
  • In Sophocles' play, the Chorus must cry for Theseus to rescue Oedipus from Creon.

    Academic text (1994)
  • In Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus unknowingly fulfills a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother.

  • As a tragic figure in Greek mythology, Oedipus represents the struggles of fate and free will.

Synonyms

King Oedipus
vsOedipus
  • NSFW
9.4

A king of Thebes who kills his father and marries his mother without knowing

is the same figure but uses royal title form rather than plain name
Oedipus Rex
vsOedipus
  • NSFW
9.5

A famous Greek tragic play about a king who killed his father and married his mother without knowing

is the same figure but referred to without the play title

Compounds

1 9.9

A hidden wish in a boy to be loved by his mother and to replace his father

Leontocebus oedipus
  • Specialized
9.9

A small South American monkey with a long white crest of hair on its head

Surface Forms

Oedipus main

Etymology

Oedipus comes from Greek words oidein 'to swell' and pous 'foot', so the name means 'swollen foot'. A simple picture helps: as a baby his feet were tied and hurt, which gave him that name and connects to the tragic story and the psychological idea named after him.