- From
- Ancient Greek Ὀδύσσεια
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈɒdəsi/ (UK); /ˈɑdəsi/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It comes from the Odyssey, the Homeric epic of the wanderings of Odysseus after the fall of Troy,[2][3][4] via Latin Odyssea,[4] from Ancient Greek Ὀδύσσεια (Odússeia), from Odusseús “Odysseus”.[2][4]
Earliest recorded meaning
The title of the epic poem, in English from about 1600 (1601 in the OED).[5][4]
Semantic evolution
The poem tells of Odysseus's ten-year struggle to return home to Ithaca.[4][6][5] The figurative sense, a long, adventurous journey with many changes of fortune, is recorded by 1889,[5][4][3] and was later extended to an intellectual or spiritual quest.[2][3]
Timeline
Modern meaning
Noun
- A long journey or series of wanderings full of adventure and changes of fortune.
- An intellectual or spiritual quest.
Word family
- Odyssean
Related words
- Odysseus
- Ulysses
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
Related etymologies
- horoscope · also from Greek
- hermaphrodite · also from Greek
- apostrophe · also from Greek
- sphinx · also from Greek
- cosmopolitan · also from Greek
- eunuch · also from Greek
- ecstasy · also from Greek
- phosphorus · also from Greek
Cite this entry
“Odyssey.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/odyssey. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.
Last edited on . ·