"Cthulhu" meaning in English

See Cthulhu in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proper name

IPA: /kəˈθuːluː/ (note: widely used spelling pronunciation), /kəˈtuːluː/ Audio: En-us-Cthulhu.ogg
Rhymes: -uːlu, -uː Etymology: Invented in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft for his short story The Call of Cthulhu. Possibly based on chthonic (“dwelling under the earth”). Head templates: {{en-proper noun}} Cthulhu
  1. 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. Wikipedia link: H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu Categories (topical): Fictional characters, Lovecraftian horror Synonyms: Ktulu, Kutulu Derived forms: Cthulhuesque, Cthulhian, Cthulhic Related terms: Lovecraftian Translations (a huge fictional humanoid alien god): 克蘇魯 (Chinese), 克苏鲁 (kèsūlǔ) (Chinese), Ĥtulho (Esperanto), Cthulhu [masculine] (French), Cthulhu (German), Κθούλου (Kthoúlou) (Greek), קת׳ולהו (Hebrew), Cuitiliú [masculine] (Irish), クトゥルフ (Kuturufu) (Japanese), 크툴후 (Keutulhu) (Korean), Ктху́лху (Kthúlhu) [neuter] (Macedonian), क्थूलू (kthūlū) [masculine] (Marathi), Cthulhu [neuter] (Polish), Cthulhu (Portuguese), Кту́лху (Ktúlxu) (Russian), คธูลู (Thai)

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_text": "Invented in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft for his short story The Call of Cthulhu. Possibly based on chthonic (“dwelling under the earth”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Cthulhu",
      "name": "en-proper noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "name",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "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 Chinese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Esperanto 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 Greek translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hebrew translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Irish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Korean translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Macedonian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Marathi 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 Thai translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fictional characters",
          "orig": "en:Fictional characters",
          "parents": [
            "Fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Lovecraftian horror",
          "orig": "en:Lovecraftian horror",
          "parents": [
            "Fiction",
            "Horror",
            "Literature",
            "Supernatural",
            "Artistic works",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "Culture",
            "Entertainment",
            "Writing",
            "Folklore",
            "Art",
            "Genres",
            "Society",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Language",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Communication",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "Cthulhuesque"
        },
        {
          "word": "Cthulhian"
        },
        {
          "word": "Cthulhic"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1928, H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "id": "en-Cthulhu-en-name-tgNCcVbj",
      "links": [
        [
          "humanoid",
          "humanoid"
        ],
        [
          "alien",
          "alien"
        ],
        [
          "octopus",
          "octopus"
        ],
        [
          "dragon",
          "dragon"
        ],
        [
          "insane",
          "insane"
        ],
        [
          "cult",
          "cult"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "Lovecraftian"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "Ktulu"
        },
        {
          "word": "Kutulu"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "克蘇魯"
        },
        {
          "code": "zh",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "kèsūlǔ",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "克苏鲁"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "Ĥtulho"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Cthulhu"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "Cthulhu"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "Kthoúlou",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "Κθούλου"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "קת׳ולהו"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Cuitiliú"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "Kuturufu",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "クトゥルフ"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "Keutulhu",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "크툴후"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "Kthúlhu",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Ктху́лху"
        },
        {
          "code": "mr",
          "lang": "Marathi",
          "roman": "kthūlū",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "क्थूलू"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Cthulhu"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "Cthulhu"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "Ktúlxu",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "Кту́лху"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
          "word": "คธูลู"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "H.P. Lovecraft",
        "The Call of Cthulhu"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kəˈθuːluː/",
      "note": "widely used spelling pronunciation"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kəˈtuːluː/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-Cthulhu.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3a/En-us-Cthulhu.ogg/En-us-Cthulhu.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/En-us-Cthulhu.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-uːlu"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-uː"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Cthulhu"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "Cthulhuesque"
    },
    {
      "word": "Cthulhian"
    },
    {
      "word": "Cthulhic"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Invented in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft for his short story The Call of Cthulhu. Possibly based on chthonic (“dwelling under the earth”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Cthulhu",
      "name": "en-proper noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "name",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "Lovecraftian"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English eponyms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English proper nouns",
        "English terms coined by H. P. Lovecraft",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Rhymes:English/uː",
        "Rhymes:English/uː/2 syllables",
        "Rhymes:English/uːlu",
        "Rhymes:English/uːlu/3 syllables",
        "Terms with Chinese translations",
        "Terms with Esperanto translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Greek translations",
        "Terms with Hebrew translations",
        "Terms with Irish translations",
        "Terms with Japanese translations",
        "Terms with Korean translations",
        "Terms with Macedonian translations",
        "Terms with Marathi translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Thai translations",
        "en:Fictional characters",
        "en:Lovecraftian horror"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1928, H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "humanoid",
          "humanoid"
        ],
        [
          "alien",
          "alien"
        ],
        [
          "octopus",
          "octopus"
        ],
        [
          "dragon",
          "dragon"
        ],
        [
          "insane",
          "insane"
        ],
        [
          "cult",
          "cult"
        ]
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "H.P. Lovecraft",
        "The Call of Cthulhu"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kəˈθuːluː/",
      "note": "widely used spelling pronunciation"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kəˈtuːluː/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-Cthulhu.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3a/En-us-Cthulhu.ogg/En-us-Cthulhu.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/En-us-Cthulhu.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-uːlu"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-uː"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "Ktulu"
    },
    {
      "word": "Kutulu"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "克蘇魯"
    },
    {
      "code": "zh",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "kèsūlǔ",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "克苏鲁"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "Ĥtulho"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Cthulhu"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "Cthulhu"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "Kthoúlou",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "Κθούλου"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "קת׳ולהו"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Cuitiliú"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "Kuturufu",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "クトゥルフ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "Keutulhu",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "크툴후"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "Kthúlhu",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Ктху́лху"
    },
    {
      "code": "mr",
      "lang": "Marathi",
      "roman": "kthūlū",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "क्थूलू"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Cthulhu"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "Cthulhu"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "Ktúlxu",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "Кту́лху"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "sense": "a huge fictional humanoid alien god",
      "word": "คธูลู"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Cthulhu"
}

Download raw JSONL data for Cthulhu meaning in English (4.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). 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.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.