erinys means one of the female personifications of vengeance, particularly wrong or immoral deeds on behalf of the victims.
erinys is pronounced /ɪˈɹɪnɪs/.
Why “erinys” is a great word
A female personification of vengeance in Greek mythology, specifically for transgressions against the sacred bonds of family or moral law. From Ancient Greek Ἐρῑνῡ́ς (Erīnū́s), possibly from ὀρῑ́νω (orī́nō, 'to raise, stir, excite [towards anger]'). Unlike 'fury,' a general term for rage or an avenging spirit, or 'Nemesis,' the goddess of balanced divine justice, an Erinys is the specific, dreadful deity who enforces a primal, familial code. She is the chill on the neck of the oath-breaker, the shadow that moves independently of the sun behind a murderer, and the relentless voice in the mind that does not fade but only grows clearer with time—the awful certainty that some debts are collected not in coin, but in the currency of madness.
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἐρῑνῡ́ς (Erīnū́s). Possibly "the angry spirits" from ὀρῑ́νω (orī́nō, “to raise, stir, excite [towards anger]”).
noun
- One of the female personifications of vengeance, particularly wrong or immoral deeds on behalf of the victims.
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