mythical
/ˈmɪθɪkəl/
adjective
Origin
Ancient Greek
mūthos — story, word, speech, tale
Overview
Meaning Now
- Existing only in myths; legendary or imaginary.
- Relating to or characteristic of a myth.
Literal older meaning
pertaining to a story or narrative
Language path
Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Earliest form
mythical
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term stems from the Greek 'mūthos', which originally signified any utterance or story, but gradually came to mean a traditional narrative often involving supernatural beings, distinguishing it from 'logos' (rational discourse).
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
mūthos
“a story, narrative, or word”
- Ancient Greek
mūthikos
“of or relating to stories/myths”
Addition of the suffix -ikos.
- Late Latin
mythicus
“fabulous, legendary”
- 17th century English
mythical
“imaginary or legendary”
Anglicized with the suffix -al.
Connections
Word parts
myth
root
a traditional story
-ic
suffix
pertaining to
-al
suffix
forming an adjective
Related across languages
French
mythique
mythical
German
mythisch
mythical
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Related to mythical
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.