Word-Built World: alastor

Illustration: Anu Garg + AI

A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg

alastor

PRONUNCIATION:

(uh-LAS-tuhr) 

MEANING:

noun: An avenger.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Alastor, a deity or spirit of vengeance in Greek mythology. The name is apparently from Greek a- (not) + lathein (to forget), alluding to this deity’s role in ensuring that the members of a family remember acts of vengeance and commit fresh crimes, thus perpetuating the cycle of bloodshed (think Romeo & Juliet’s families). Earliest documented use: 1603.

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