Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MYRMIDON
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pronounce
MYRMIDON:
Say it "MUR muh don."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
What's the word for people who are acting dumb and obedient, like sheep, but also fierce and brutal, like a wolf pack?
They're myrmidons.
We know the word myrmidon can be traced back to an ancient Greek one in the Iliad, the epic poem, but if we try to dig into it a little further, we're not exactly sure where it came from.
One theory is that it came from the Greek myrmex, "ant." According to myth, a group of ants transformed into men, then followed Achilles willingly (and aggressively) into battle. Which is appropriate, because myrmidons are unthinking fighters. Obedient henchmen. Well-trained underlings. Lawless to__ies.
Can you recall that last word with the blanks?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
If you read the epic poem the Iliad back in high school, you might remember Achilles with his myrmidons: his army of bloodthirsty, unthinking fighters.
Let's see the original Myrmidons in action in the Iliad. Below is a snippet from the translation by A. S. Kline. Steel yourself for a pretty disgusting simile:
"Meanwhile Achilles made his round of the huts and called all the Myrmidons to arms. They gathered like a pack of ravening wolves filled with indescribable fury, like mountain wolves that have brought down a stag with full antlers, and rend it with blood-stained jaws then go in a mass to drink, lapping the dark water with slender tongues, dripping blood and gore, the hearts in their chests beating strong and their bellies gorged. So the captains and generals of the Myrmidons surged around Patroclus, while Achilles stood among them, marshalling charioteers and infantry."
Ew.
So as you can imagine, today, if you refer to someone as a myrmidon, you mean that he or she is a stupid, slavish, warlike follower.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "all these myrmidons."
Other forms:
The plural is very common: "myrmidons."
Sometimes we use "myrmidon" loosely like an adjective, as in "their myrmidon loyalty" or "this myrmidon mob."
The true adjective is rare, and capitalized: "Myrmidonian," said "MUR muh DOE nee un." If you write it with a lowercase m, it means "related to ants." (Why ants? See above, under "connect this word to others.")
how to use it:
Yikes: the word "myrmidon" is rare, insulting, and very scholarly. Use it at your own risk!
If you call someone a myrmidon, you're saying they're as mindless as a marching ant, and as ruthless as a hired killer.
You might talk about someone's myrmidons, or the myrmidons of someone or something. For example, to refer to people as "myrmidons of the law" or "myrmidons of the government" is to say that they're like brainless, brutal soldiers programmed to hurt people and not care.
examples:
"As the polls seem to indicate, this clownish American embarrassment can still win most of the same states won by previous Republican nominees, despite being a proud dilettante — a politically drunken myrmidon with punchline hair."
— Bob Cesca, Salon, 4 September 2016
"Western Germany is filled with government halls and conference centres built with funding from the Marshall plan and the US, flat, utilitarian and clean... For the decades after the second world war, these libraries and cultural centres brought American books and movies and culture into Germany. They were the quiet myrmidons of what Harvard professor Joseph Nye called 'soft power', persuasion through cultural influence rather than brute force."
— Madeleine Schwartz, The Guardian, 4 September 2018
has this page helped you understand "myrmidon"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "myrmidon" without saying "lemming" or "sidekick."
try it out:
In the Harry Potter series, Harry's schoolyard enemy is Draco Malfoy, who's always flanked by his myrmidons, Crabbe and Goyle. (Here's a list of the "top five stupidest things Crabbe and Goyle ever did.")
With Crabbe and Goyle in mind as an example, talk about some other fictional myrmidons. What leader do they blindly follow? What do they do that's unthinking, obedient, and cruel?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for March is "Yup, that's a real word."
Check out the definition of a silly-sounding word--yes, a real one, from the Oxford English Dictionary--and see if you can come up with the word itself. To see the answer, scroll all the way down.
Here's an example: "This three-syllable noun ending in the -ship suffix (as in 'friendship' and 'fellowship') means 'skill in traversing snow.'" The answer is "snowmanship." (Yup, that’s a real word!)
Try an easy one today to get started:
This three-syllable adjective means "free from spiders."
review this word:
A. a TALENTED ARTIST.
B. a NONVIOLENT LEADER.
C. an ARTICULATE MERMAID.
2. In a historical account, Brantz Mayer wrote that the brave people of Zacatecas were "_____ by the myrmidons of Santa Anna."
A. basely slain
B. candidly honored
C. tediously analyzed
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
What's the word for people who are acting dumb and obedient, like sheep, but also fierce and brutal, like a wolf pack?
If you read the epic poem the Iliad back in high school, you might remember Achilles with his myrmidons: his army of bloodthirsty, unthinking fighters.
Part of speech:
Yikes: the word "myrmidon" is rare, insulting, and very scholarly. Use it at your own risk!
"As the polls seem to indicate, this clownish American embarrassment can still win most of the same states won by previous Republican nominees, despite being a proud dilettante — a politically drunken myrmidon with punchline hair."
Explain the meaning of "myrmidon" without saying "lemming" or "sidekick."
In the Harry Potter series, Harry's schoolyard enemy is Draco Malfoy, who's always flanked by his myrmidons, Crabbe and Goyle. (Here's a list of the "top five stupidest things Crabbe and Goyle ever did.")
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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