Cthulhu
English
[edit]
Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Invented in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft for his short story The Call of Cthulhu. Possibly based on chthonic (“dwelling under the earth”).
Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): (widely used spelling pronunciation) /kəˈθuːluː/, /kəˈtuːluː/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -uːlu, -uː
Usage notes
[edit]- Lovecraft used various approximations of what he imagined as a name not pronounceable by humans, none of which he described clearly.
Proper noun
[edit]Cthulhu
- A gigantic fictional humanoid alien god being described with a head resembling an octopus and dragon wings and claws, around whom an insane cult developed.
- 1928, H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu:
- Then, bolder than the storied Cyclops, great Cthulhu slid greasily into the water and began to pursue with vast wave-raising strokes of cosmic potency.
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]a huge fictional humanoid alien god
|
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]
Categories:
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/uːlu
- Rhymes:English/uːlu/3 syllables
- Rhymes:English/uː
- Rhymes:English/uː/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English proper nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English eponyms
- English terms coined by H. P. Lovecraft
- en:Fictional characters
- en:Lovecraftian horror