| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Adjective | 1. Of or pertaining to Cadmus, a fabulous prince of Thebes, who was said to have introduced into Greece the sixteen simple letters of the alphabet -- /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /, /. These are called Cadmean letters.[Websters]
2. Rarely used base adjective of the adverb cadmeanly.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Adverb Form (cadmeanly) | 1. Virtually never used adverbial inflection of the rarely used adjective cadmean.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), compiled from various sources, under license. | Top | |
Date "CADMEAN" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1828. (references) |
Common Expressions: CADMEAN
| Expressions | Definition | ||
| Cadmean victory | A victory that damages the victors as much as the vanquished; probably referring to the battle in which the soldiers who sprang from the dragon's teeth sown by Cadmus slew each other. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Specialty Expressions: CADMEAN
| Expressions | Domain | Definition | |
| Cadmean Letters | Literature | 1: (The). The simple Greek letters introduced by Cadmus from Phoenicia. (Greek myth.) 2: (Greek, Kadmeia nike; Latin, Cadmea Victoria). A victory purchased with great loss. The allusion is to the armed men who sprang out of the ground from the teeth of the dragon sown by Cadmus. These men fell foul of each other, and only five of them escaped death. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
