"Charon's obol" meaning in All languages combined

See Charon's obol on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Forms: Charon's obols [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun|+}} Charon's obol (plural Charon's obols)
  1. (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) A coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charon, the ferryman of Hades. Tags: Greek, Roman Synonyms: death penny Translations (coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo): obol mrtvých [masculine] (Czech), obole de Charon [feminine] (French), Charonspfennig [masculine] (German), obolo di Caronte [masculine] (Italian), obol Charona [masculine] (Polish), obol zmarłych [masculine] (Polish), óbolo de Caronte [masculine] (Portuguese), обо́л Харо́на (oból Xaróna) [masculine] (Russian), óbolo de Caronte [masculine] (Spanish), เหรียญของแครอน (Thai), обо́л Харо́на (oból Xaróna) [masculine] (Ukrainian)

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Charon's obols",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Charon's obol (plural Charon's obols)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Czech translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Thai translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Coins",
          "orig": "en:Coins",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Death",
          "orig": "en:Death",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Greek mythology",
          "orig": "en:Greek mythology",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Roman mythology",
          "orig": "en:Roman mythology",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              10,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2018, Rory Naismith, editor, Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages, →ISBN, page 337:",
          "text": "Also, the Charon's obol of classical tradition was a low-value coin, a symbol that death makes rich and poor equal.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              66
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2020, Franco De Angelis, editor, A Companion to Greeks Across the Ancient World, →ISBN, page 445:",
          "text": "However, in tombs all over the cemetery the use of \"Charon's obols\" was widely practiced, primarily in the form of the local Kolkhidki minted after the Persian weight standard.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              175,
              188
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2022, Glenn W. Most, editor, Studies on the Derveni Papyrus, Volume II, →ISBN, page 318:",
          "text": "In Pieria, particularly, gold coins or pseudo-coins were employed as lamellae, also being inscribed and on at least two occasions deposited in the burial in the same way as a Charon's obol.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charon, the ferryman of Hades."
      ],
      "id": "en-Charon's_obol-en-noun-dD-o7l71",
      "links": [
        [
          "Greek",
          "Greek"
        ],
        [
          "mythology",
          "mythology"
        ],
        [
          "Roman",
          "Roman"
        ],
        [
          "coin",
          "coin#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "placed",
          "place#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "mouth",
          "mouth#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "deceased",
          "deceased#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "bribe",
          "bribe#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "payment",
          "payment"
        ],
        [
          "Charon",
          "Charon"
        ],
        [
          "ferryman",
          "ferryman"
        ],
        [
          "Hades",
          "Hades"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Greek mythology, Roman mythology) A coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charon, the ferryman of Hades."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "death penny"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Greek",
        "Roman"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "mysticism",
        "mythology",
        "philosophy",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "lang_code": "cs",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "obol mrtvých"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "obole de Charon"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Charonspfennig"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "obolo di Caronte"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "obol Charona"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "obol zmarłych"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "óbolo de Caronte"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "oból Xaróna",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "обо́л Харо́на"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "óbolo de Caronte"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "lang_code": "th",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "word": "เหรียญของแครอน"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "lang_code": "uk",
          "roman": "oból Xaróna",
          "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "обо́л Харо́на"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "Charon's obol"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Charon's obols",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Charon's obol (plural Charon's obols)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Czech translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
        "Terms with Thai translations",
        "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
        "en:Coins",
        "en:Death",
        "en:Greek mythology",
        "en:Roman mythology"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              10,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2018, Rory Naismith, editor, Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages, →ISBN, page 337:",
          "text": "Also, the Charon's obol of classical tradition was a low-value coin, a symbol that death makes rich and poor equal.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              66
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2020, Franco De Angelis, editor, A Companion to Greeks Across the Ancient World, →ISBN, page 445:",
          "text": "However, in tombs all over the cemetery the use of \"Charon's obols\" was widely practiced, primarily in the form of the local Kolkhidki minted after the Persian weight standard.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              175,
              188
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2022, Glenn W. Most, editor, Studies on the Derveni Papyrus, Volume II, →ISBN, page 318:",
          "text": "In Pieria, particularly, gold coins or pseudo-coins were employed as lamellae, also being inscribed and on at least two occasions deposited in the burial in the same way as a Charon's obol.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charon, the ferryman of Hades."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Greek",
          "Greek"
        ],
        [
          "mythology",
          "mythology"
        ],
        [
          "Roman",
          "Roman"
        ],
        [
          "coin",
          "coin#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "placed",
          "place#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "mouth",
          "mouth#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "deceased",
          "deceased#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "bribe",
          "bribe#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "payment",
          "payment"
        ],
        [
          "Charon",
          "Charon"
        ],
        [
          "ferryman",
          "ferryman"
        ],
        [
          "Hades",
          "Hades"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Greek mythology, Roman mythology) A coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charon, the ferryman of Hades."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "death penny"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Greek",
        "Roman"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "mysticism",
        "mythology",
        "philosophy",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "lang_code": "cs",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "obol mrtvých"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "obole de Charon"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Charonspfennig"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "obolo di Caronte"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "obol Charona"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "obol zmarłych"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "óbolo de Caronte"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "oból Xaróna",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "обо́л Харо́на"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "óbolo de Caronte"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "lang_code": "th",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "word": "เหรียญของแครอน"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "lang_code": "uk",
      "roman": "oból Xaróna",
      "sense": "coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charo",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "обо́л Харо́на"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Charon's obol"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-12-23 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-12-02 using wiktextract (6fdc867 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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