Cthulhu

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Invented in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft for his short story The Call of Cthulhu. Possibly based on chthonic (dwelling under the earth).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (widely used spelling pronunciation) /kəˈθuːluː/, /kəˈtuːluː/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -uːlu, -uː

Usage notes

  • Lovecraft used various approximations of what he imagined as a name not pronounceable by humans, none of which he described clearly.

Proper noun

Cthulhu

  1. 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.
    • 1928, H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu:
      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.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Further reading

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.