stymphalides means in Greek mythology, a flock of metallic man-eating birds that haunted Lake Stymphalis in Arkadia. They were slain by Herakles as part of his sixth Labour, who took advantage of their sensitive sense of hearing. It carries an Arena rating of 1465, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, stymphalides ranks #299 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #501 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #783 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #891 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
Why “stymphalides” is a great word
A flock of metallic, man-eating birds that haunted Lake Stymphalis in Arkadia, slain by Herakles as his sixth Labour. From Latin Stymphālides, from Ancient Greek Στυμφαλίδες ὄρνιθες (Stumphalídes órnithes, "birds of Stymphalus"). Unlike the harpy, a winged woman acting as a divine agent, or the griffin, a noble chimeric guardian, the Stymphalides are a naturalistic plague—a purely avian swarm of localized ruin. They were the iron feathers that shred skin like shrapnel, the beating of bronze wings that drowns out thought, and the sudden shadow over water where no cloud should be; monsters not of prophecy but of place, proving that some landscapes simply breed their own damnation.
Etymology
From Latin Stymphālides, from Ancient Greek Στυμφαλίδες ὄρνιθες (Stumphalídes órnithes, “birds of Stymphalus”).
noun
- In Greek mythology, a flock of metallic man-eating birds that haunted Lake Stymphalis in Arkadia. They were slain by Herakles as part of his sixth Labour, who took advantage of their sensitive sense of hearing.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.