charon means the ferryman of Hades, who rowed the shades of the dead across the river Styx.
charon is pronounced /ˈkɛəɹɒn/.
Why “charon” is a great word
The ferryman who transports the souls of the dead across the river Styx to the underworld. From Latin Charōn, from Ancient Greek Χάρων (Khárōn), of uncertain etymology; the name for Pluto's moon was coined in 1978 by American astronomer James W. Christy. Unlike a psychopomp—a general guide of souls—or the Styx itself—the river that forms the boundary—Charon is specifically the operator of the vessel, the indispensable middleman in the transaction of death. He is the coin pressed into a cold mouth to secure passage, the creak of the skiff through fog-laced stillness, and the weightless moment when the shore vanishes behind—the last living gesture of commerce, exacted at the edge of oblivion.
Etymology
From Latin Charōn, from Ancient Greek Χάρων (Khárōn). The name of the moon was coined by American astronomer James W. Christy in 1978, in reference to a fictional moon of Pluto in a novel by Edmond Hamilton but also influenced by its similarity to Char, a pet name for Charlene, his wife's name — hence the alternative American pronunciation, which is used at NASA.
name
- The ferryman of Hades, who rowed the shades of the dead across the river Styx.
- The largest of the five moons of Pluto.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- psychopomp 84% match — A spirit, deity, person, etc., who guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife. vs charon →
- plutonian 81% match — Of or relating to Pluto, the Greek and Roman god of the underworld; demonic, infernal. vs charon →
- psychagogue 81% match — A necromancer. vs charon →
- stygian 80% match — Infernal or hellish. vs charon →
- lethe 79% match — Forgetfulness of the past; oblivion. vs charon →
- psychostasia 78% match — The weighing of souls, as a form of judgment of people's worth. vs charon →
- metempsychosis 78% match — Transmigration of the soul, especially its reincarnation after death. vs charon →
- psyche 78% match — The human soul, mind, or spirit. vs charon →